A Long Drop to Perdition
by Meimi no Kage
Summary: Kaitou Kid really ought to have known that there was no such thing as a perfect night.
1. Part 1

**A Long Drop to Perdition  
**_**by Meimi**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Aoyama Gosho or anyone who hold rights to Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. It isn't mine, I'm just playing with it. 

* * *

This was not exactly what he'd had in mind when he'd meticulously planned out his escape. Now granted, he'd had to _re_plan a bit on the fly thanks to certain unexpected variables. But that happened all the time! If it wasn't Nakamori going along with someone's harebrained scheme that would give him a momentary pause, then it was Hakuba trying to _kill him_ with something or other. And if it wasn't either of them then it was a certain pint sized detective attempting to put him to sleep, or knock his head off, or trip him up, or on some of their more entertaining nights: all of the above. No, none of that even touched upon him immediate predicament. It _did_ involve one of the previously mentioned individuals, but not in any conceivable way that he could have _planned for_. 

Which, of course, was why he, the Kaitou Kid, was hanging off the side of a five story building, one hand holding onto a taut line of silk scarves - those damned knots had better not give out! - and the other locked desperately around the wrist of the little detective who wasn't quite so little tonight. That had been his first surprise. 

Truth be known, he hadn't been expecting Edogawa Conan at tonight's heist, much less his true identity: Kudo Shinichi. And judging by his less than thrilled greeting, the detective hadn't been expecting to be present either. It had been quite a surprise on both their parts it seemed. After all, Kaito knew that the Mouris were out of town. He'd gathered that nugget of information during the initial stages of planning for this particular heist. It was very important information. Better to know what his favorite little critic was up to than not. So imagine his _delight_ when he'd turned a corner, snickering under his breath at the state he'd left Hakuba in, only to come face to face with his own face, more or less. He'd freely admit that his interest had been piqued, but he'd refrained from asking any real pointed questions. It hadn't been the right place or the right time for such things. 

_Kid paused for a brief moment, a curious smile quirking at his lips. He was surprised, perhaps even mildly stumped, at the figure standing at the other end of the hallway. And my my, Kudo did not look pleased to see him in the least. How sad. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company at tonight's performance... as yourself, no less?" _

_Kudo has grimaced sourly, his right hand already instinctively reaching towards his left. Stupid watch! "None of your business." _

_"Of course not. Silly me for asking." Kid's smile had turned into an outright grin then, the usual maniacal glint returning to its rightful spot. "But don't worry, despite your tragic lack of trust in my sterling self, I'll be sure to make your presence here tonight worth your while." _

_Kudo had snorted at him. "Don't trouble yourself on my account." _

_"No trouble at all."_

And then the chase had been on. Kudo had kept up with him every step of the way, through every trick and trap that the Kaitou Kid had thrown at him. Not that Kaito had been expecting any less. It was the most challenging and exhilarating night he'd had in awhile. For that alone, he'd say this particular escapade had definitely earned its keep. Still, all good things must come to an end, as they say, and thus their game of cat and mouse had headed towards its inevitable conclusion up on the roof. The officers that had previously been stationed there had easily been tricked into joining their compatriots doing curlicues in the hallways two floors down. 

It was a perfect ending to a perfect night. 

Kudo had been standing between him and his chosen launch point. As expected. Just a little sleight of the hand would have had him winging away into the night sky courtesy of his glider. Kudo's unexpected look of... _something_ had cost him a few precious seconds, but that had been okay. Honestly, he couldn't recall ever seeing the poor guy look so... happy. It was a surprising enough occurrence to risk a little time on. And then, of course, there had been the bullet whizzing past him. He'd been expecting that. The shots had become something of a typical happenstance of late. What he hadn't been expecting was their actual target this time around. 

It all happened so fast. Then again, most everything happened fast on a heist. It just- He was- His hearing just kinda sorta went out there for a moment - shock, he guessed - as he'd watched it hit. And then Kudo had started to fall backwards, too stunned or _something_ to catch his balance, and right off the damned roof - too close to the edge! Yes, it had all happened too fast. Much too fast. Another shot had gone off immediately after he'd launched himself after the detective, though he had no idea of whether it had connected with anything or not. He _hoped_ not. Things were bad enough already. 

Kaito bit his bottom lip as he glanced back up at the roof. He could probably get them back up there, but it would take more time than he had to spare and there was no guarantee that the sniper - _Snake_ - wasn't waiting for him to do something like that. On top of _that_ lovely little detail, Nakamori would surely figure things out soon enough and send people back up onto the rooftop. And really, it had been Lady Luck herself that'd had the spotlights trained off on another portion of the building when they'd taken their little nosedive; but he knew that reprieve wouldn't last much longer either. So really, he had no time to waste at all. 

_Crap!_

Kaito scowled darkly as he looked back down, hiding his concern behind a mask of mild annoyance. "Oi, Kudo," he called out irritably. Were this any other situation, he might have even risked giving the jerk a shake. It would have rattled the detective's nerves at the very least. Then again, if hanging several stories off the ground didn't rattle him, then they'd have to go for something more severe. Not that he was even really considering such a thing. Hell no. He'd be happy if he never had another night like this one ever again. _And_ he'd be more than content at never seeing Kudo Shinichi again for the rest of his life. And people thought _he_ was a trouble magnet. 

And none of that really mattered right now because Kudo wasn't answering him. Asides from hanging there in the breeze, as it were, he didn't really seem to be moving any at all. Great. Just great. "Shinichi?" Kaito hazarded, surely a lowly peon such as himself using his given name would get a reaction out of the detective. But no, nothing. _Son of a bitch._

Snarling sulfurously under his breath, Kaito whipped his head up and scanned the surrounding area. The spotlights were still doing an interesting dance at the other end of the building. Hey, maybe the Task Force had spotted their sniper? Nah, on second thought, neither of them were that lucky. Okay, so... how the hell was he going to get them both out of this situation without him ending up in jail or either of them ending up as street pizza? 

The glider wasn't really designed to carry two _grown_ people, though it might be able to manage a short distance. _Might_ being the operative word here. There was a wooded park about two kilometers to the north. It might make for a workable crash site. Kaito glanced back up and then down again, eyeing the distance critically. One floor to get the thing in working order and possibly two more to hopefully catch some sort of wind current before it was too late and they both went splat on the pavement below. He could do it. He _could_. And he'd better do it soon, otherwise he risked the possibility of Kudo bleeding to death on him too. That first bullet had definitely hit. 

_Damnit!_

Well, there was no helping for it. Best to just get it over with and hope they both came out of it alive. "Hey Ku-," Kaito stopped short as he gazed down at tonight's unlucky passenger. He'd never admit it to anyone, sometimes not even himself, but he was rather fond of the detective, annoying quirks and all. He didn't want him to die. Well, he didn't want anyone to die, but that wasn't the point. He _really_ didn't want Shinichi to die. And he _wouldn't_ let him die, not on his watch and not while he could do something about it. "Shinichi," he began again, his voice much softer than it had been before, "Don't worry, no matter what happens, I won't drop you. I promise." If- _When_ they hit the ground, they'd be doing it together. Anything else was unacceptable. 

Steeling himself for what was to come, Kaito drew in a deep breath, one that was far from calming, eased it back out and let go of his impromptu rope. The wind started up almost immediately, tearing at the both of them and making everything that much more difficult, but he'd been expecting that. Air didn't care for gravity futzing around with it anymore than he did. A floor flashed past - just as he'd surmised - before there was a familiar billow of white silk and a jerk that slowed their descent _somewhat_. They were still falling, but it was at an angle, a shaky angle. 

Kaito grit his teeth. Steering the glider while his hands were otherwise occupied was old hat. He'd gotten used to having to do so a long time ago. Steering it while there was a great big - he wouldn't say dead - weight pulling down on the entire thing and throwing his balance off was something else altogether, and just a tad bit beyond his expertise. He'd do it anyway though. The Kaitou Kid could do anything... except die. He hoped. 

There was a wind. Not much of one, but beggars can't be choosers. And regardless of its wimpyness, it provided some lift. It wasn't nearly enough to keep them in the air for any given length of time, but it ought to be enough to get them to safer ground - and cover. Honestly, it would have taken something a hell of a lot stronger and much more dangerous to keep their little act up and flying. But that was okay! He'd take what he could get. A crash in the green that didn't _kill him_ was far and away more preferable than the concrete zooming past below them. Just a little further now. 

Kaito vaguely noted when all hell broke loose somewhere behind them. It seemed as if someone in the Task Force had finally spotted them. He did not chance a glance back, he really didn't have the time for it. The grass, and more importantly, the trees were fast approaching and he needed every ounce of control that he could muster to not ram into a tree trunk or get caught in any of the branches. He would like to at least be able to walk away from this situation, if that were even a remote possibility at this point. 

Tipping this way and that way, they zigzagged a good distance over the treetops before easing down in between them. A hundred meters zipped by, and then another. More. Assuming he survived this hellish flight, Kaito definitely wanted to have a nice, big lead on the continuing chase that would no doubt resume any minute now. Nakamori wouldn't give him much time to catch his breath - or put himself back together. 

Kaito's arms burned, muscles screaming in protest as he held on for all he was worth to his, uh, extra baggage. Pity Ku- Shinichi was dea- ..._unconscious_, otherwise he'd be having a lot of fun at the detective's expense. New and hilarious ways to refer to his sparkling self being one of the many, many things that came to mind. 

Shadows began to stretch over the area as they sunk lower into the trees. The branches may obscure the moonlight and make it difficult to see, but that would work in his favor. Well, as much as Kaito disliked the concept, it was about time he scouted out a decent place to deposit Shinichi at. If he didn't do it soon he risked dragging the detective along on the ground and forcing him into a nice little neck breaking experience when the glider would, undoubtedly, protest such a course of action. He was actually starting to feel a little thread of smug exultation at how smooth it was all going despite certain upsets; which is, of course, exactly when everything went straight to hell. 

He didn't see the little protrusion of skeletal branches peeking out of the tree just up ahead, but that was okay, they saw him just fine. A web of fire slashed across his cheek as he flew past. His monocle and hat were ripped off of his head, and then there was a sick sound of tearing fabric. _Oh hell!_ Kaito abruptly let go of his death grip on the detective. It was better to drop him at this point rather than risk landing on him and making his injuries even worse - much less make new ones. 

_This is really going to hurt._ He thought morosely as the ground rose up to meet him - or at least it seemed that way. Any further thoughts fled his mind as he slammed into it, the glider's frame cracking and bending behind him in unpleasant ways. That was going to be a real pain to repair. For a moment there was nothing and then: _Ow._ Which didn't quite cover what he was feeling, but he didn't think he had the capacity to think of a better word that fit right now. 

_Ow._

Everything hurt. It wasn't exactly a new sensation, and he was really starting to get tired of it. Why the hell couldn't his own rule apply to him too? No one gets hurt, except the stupid thief who apparently didn't know when to quit. "I hate my life," Kaito muttered wretchedly as he slowly levered himself up off of the ground. _Oh, ow._ Yeah, that didn't feel right. Wincing, he gingerly felt along his side, gritting his teeth and swallowing bile when something, that really shouldn't have, moved beneath his fingertips. _Oh, how wonderful._ This night just kept getting better and better. 

"I hope you're happy," Kaito grumbled after several long moments spent fighting down the almost overpowering nausea that was sweeping through his body. He was not going to throw up! He wasn't! "I think I broke something thanks to you." Several somethings by the feel of it. Damn. Broken ribs were the absolute pits and nearly impossible to hide. If he was lucky, it might actually take Hakuba an hour or so to figure out something was wrong with them. And then there would be pain and constant heckling. Yep, life really sucked. 

There was no answer from his present peanut gallery, not that he'd really been expecting one. It would have been nice though. Sighing, and then instantly cringing at the severe pain it caused, Kaito teetered up onto his feet and limped his way back to the Kudo drop point. He didn't like what he was seeing. Shinichi lay a short distance from the base of the evil tree that had forced them out of the sky, crumpled up on his side, his back to the thoroughly displeased phantom thief. Kaito might have waxed poetic at the scene, but digging metaphors up out of his brain would have just pissed him off more at this point. 

"You'd better not be dead, Shinichi," Kaito said flatly as he dropped to his knees beside the fallen detective, "Otherwise, I swear I'll kill you myself." His declaration didn't make a lick of sense, but he really didn't give a damn. Catching himself before he made the mistake of sighing again, the thief hesitantly reached forward and rolled Kudo towards him. His breath caught in a suddenly dry throat at the sight he beheld. 

Shinichi was bloody. Kaito had been expecting that. His shoulder was a nice little expanse of liquid black shadows, but thankfully, only that. The bullet there hadn't hit an artery at least. It was his face that was swiftly shattering what little composure the thief had left in him. Streaks of blood ran down in rivulets from a wound set high on his forehead. All in all, it set a thoroughly macabre picture and _he was not going to throw up!_

"You're not dead." Kaito whispered desperately as he leaned down and frantically felt along the bloody gash. "You can't be dead. I won't let you be dead!" Head wounds always bled ridiculously, right? This wasn't any different. It was just a graze. It had to be! "I'll hate you forever if you're dead." 

Maybe something was listening for once, because it did seem to be just that: a graze. It was a pretty bad one though. There was a very obvious dent in the bone from the feel of it, probably some cracks thanks to it too. It appeared as if Shinichi's life was going to be even more miserable for a good long while, but at least he'd be alive to suffer through it. Kaito chuckled lightly in relief and winced almost immediately as it occurred to him - and his ribs - that such an action wasn't the smartest thing to do. 

That was it then. The fun and games were drawing to their inevitable - and more than welcome - conclusion. _Thank god._ All the players were still alive, if not exactly well - or intact, but that could be fixed... eventually. He could hear Nakamori's yelling quite clearly now, which was not a good sign. Granted, the man could probably be heard on the far side of Tokyo when he really got going, but that didn't mean he wasn't getting dangerously close to their location. And, of course, his Task Force would be right on the Inspector's heels. It was long past time for the Kaitou Kid to get the hell out of Dodge. 

Catching himself before he made the mistake of sighing again - such a bad habit -, Kaito clambered to his feet and teetered his way over to the veritable spawn of Satan. Glowering up at the evil tree, which was holding both his monocle and top hat hostage, Kaito reared back and kicked the damn thing. "Gimme!" 

The branches swayed, but his monocle and hat stayed right where they were. "Oh come on," Kaito whined petulantly as he kicked it again, ignoring the agony that speared him in the side as he continued to keep on kicking it. "I so do not need this." Finally, when he just couldn't take it anymore, he allowed himself to droop pathetically against the obscenely intact bark. Kicking aside, which had been a rather dumb idea now that he could feel the results of that little tantrum, he supposed he could try shooting them down with his cardgun. Though, all things considered, he'd probably pass out if he tried to stretch his arms up to the angle necessary for aiming properly, much less hold them there long enough to get the shot off. "Maybe they won't find them. Eh, who am I kidding? Of course they'll find them." 

Sighing, and totally not caring that it hurt like a bitch or was a bad habit, Kaito stepped away from the demon tree and hung his head. A wind tugged at his hair, and then a moment later something hard bounced off his skull, then immediately afterwards his hat settled serenely atop his head. "How appropriately infuriating," Kaito ground out as he stooped over and yanked his monocle up off of the ground. His ribs protested the movement, but he didn't really care anymore. 

"You'll probably hate me for this, Shinichi," Kaito muttered darkly as he jammed his damned monocle back into place and grimaced sourly at the fresh smear of blood it produced on his gloved hand. How he could tell it was new, he wasn't sure, but it didn't quite match the deep red stain that belonged to the detective. "But I think it's best that I leave you for Nakamori and company to find. I'm sure they can supply much better medical attention than I could manage." 

"Just hold on a bit longer," he smiled humorlessly as he glanced over at Shinichi, "I'm sure they'll be... here... soon." _What the hell?_ His eyes were playing tricks on him, that was the only logical explanation. There was absolutely no way that a person... _steamed_, for lack of a better word. Kaito stared blankly at the wisps of steam- smoke- _whatever_ rising off of the detective. He blinked, hard, but the image refused to change back to planet reality. 

"Holy shit!" Kaito yelped before he dove and skidded onto his knees beside the prone form. Shinichi's clothes were crinkling up, almost as if the detective housed in them was vanishing... or shrinking! "Is this what happens? You boil away? Doesn't look like much fun," he mumbled lamely as he raked his gaze across the impossible. Kudo Shinichi was shrinking and... there was no way in hell that he could leave him here like this now. If the police found him in this condition, then it would all be over for him and probably everyone he cared about. 

This was the perfect ending to a perfectly bad night indeed. 

Cursing viciously under his breath, Kaito scooped the considerably lighter - and still getting smaller and lighter - detective up, took a long, precious moment to determine his exact position - hooray for astronomy - and then darted off in the best possible direction to lose their swiftly approaching pursuit. The last curtain call was fast approaching, time for the Kaitou Kid to do what he did best: disappear. 

* * *

_Kaito blinked owlishly at the slip of paper that had just been placed in his hand, then glanced up at the person who had given it to him. "What's this?" _

_Jii beamed down at his young master and simply said, "An address." _

_I can see that just fine on my own. Kaito thought grumpily. "An address to what?" _

_"An old acquaintance of your father," Jii answered vaguely. _

_"My dad?" Kaito blinked again in curiosity. That was a little different. But why bring it up now? "Okay, so why are you giving me their address now?" _

_"I don't think I need to point out to you that matters have gotten a tad bit out of hand as of late, Young Master," Jii explained, "But should anything untoward happen, god forbid, then please make your way to that address. He will take excellent care of you." _

_Oh. Jii was worried about all the bullets he'd been dodging lately. Well, if that was the case then this person must be some sort of doctor. His father had needed a doctor?! Surely not. Then again, Kaito had already been blown up and suffered other numerous - and ridiculous - wounds in his still somewhat short career as a phantom thief. It stood to reason that his father might have run into the same sort of trouble every now and then. He'd never really thought much about it, but he supposed that they might share more in common than he'd ever realized. That was heartening. "So," he began hesitantly, "Dad trusted this guy?" _

_"Implicitly," Jii answered smugly, something almost akin to hero worship flashing in his eyes. "He is the epitome of a professional." _

_Kaito couldn't help but smirk knowingly at Jii's antics. Some things never changed. "A professional what?" _

_"A professional secret keeper, of course." If Jii could emit sparkles at will, that's exactly what he'd be doing at that very moment. _

_Kaito shook his head and chuckled. "Have you been reading those English novels again?" _

_"English novels, Young Master?" If Jii could come up with a more guilty looking innocent face, Kaito wasn't sure he ever wanted to see it. As it stood, he was having a hard enough time to keep from laughing at this one. _

_"You know," Kaito supplied helpfully, "Those children's books about that wizard kid. The one with the glasses." He illustrated his statement by making half moons with his fingers around his eyes. _

_"I have no idea what you're talking about, Young Master," Jii huffed and straightened up haughtily. _

_"Of course not. What was I thinking?" Kaito smiled indulgently as he pocketed the tiny slip of paper. He'd memorize the address later and then burn the paper it had been written on. The only evidence he ever hoped to leave behind were the many, many piles of litter junking up his head space._

Kaito worried at his bottom lip as he briefly recalled the conversation which had led him to his present location. The address apparently belonged to a nondescript house in a nondescript area. Really, it looked like the perfect setup for a murder mystery. How apropos. Shinichi, or rather _Conan_ now, seemed to be back to his not normal size. His wounds had crusted up sometime during their journey - and hopefully shrunk right along with him -, but they were still wounds. They needed to be treated by someone who knew what the hell they were doing. And unfortunately, he lacked such knowledge. It was time for him to see if Jii had been correct about trusting this guy. Whoever he was. 

Nodding once to himself, Kaito hopped down off his perch on the high fence that surrounded the nondescript house's nondescript yard. If this place somehow managed to look even more _normal_ than it already did, he'd probably crawl right out of his skin. Stuff that appeared too normal always set off a multitude of alarms in his brain, because they were _always_ hiding something. And usually it was something really unpleasant that he didn't want to have anything to do with. 

The too normal looking yard earned itself one more suspicious look before Kaito began to make his way towards the too normal looking house. This was creeping him out big time! He had only managed a few steps when a light was abruptly turned on inside. It startled him more than he liked. He hadn't realized just how shot his nerves were. And haha, nice little phrasing there. If he ever met the person who had coined it, he was going to deck them. 

Kaito briefly entertained the thought of just getting the hell out of there. Sadly, that choice was not an option, no matter how much he might wish otherwise. _He_ wasn't the one who needed help the most. And since everything was entirely his fault anyway, he was just going to have to suck it up and deal. Being relegated to the responsible role by default really blew. 

The central door soundlessly slid open, revealing an elderly gentleman who quirked a bushy eyebrow at the phantom thief standing in the middle of his yard. "Well now, it has been quite some time since a magician of your caliber darkened my doorstep." There was a deep, gravelly quality to the man's voice, one that sounded almost familiar, and for some reason it settled Kaito's nerves better than anything else. At least he didn't sound like a psycho. Not that that really counted for much in the long run. 

"Ah, but I see that now is not the time for pleasantries," the old man said glumly as his gaze fell upon the burden Kaito held securely in his arms. "Come." The old man crooked his fingers, beckoning Kaito to follow even as he turned and shuffled back into the creepy house. "Let us see what we can do for you and your little friend there." 

* * *

To Be Continued...


	2. Part 2

**A Long Drop to Perdition  
**_**by Meimi**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Aoyama Gosho or anyone who hold rights to Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. It isn't mine, I'm just playing with it. 

Note: It's been asked a few times in the reviews, but unless they're labelled as such in the summary (slash, yaoi, het, w/ pairings), my stories are pretty much gen. No romance is intended, though people are welcome to read whatever they like into it. Just, ah, don't expect anything shippy for this one. 

* * *

Kaito paced. It wasn't exactly one of his better ideas, but it was about the only thing he could think of to do at this point. It kept him busy, it kept him upright, and at least the pain remained at a minimum while doing so. Though sadly, that latter reasoning was slowly becoming less and less effective as the night wore on. He _had_ offered to help patch Shinichi up - that would've at least kept him busy -, but said offer had been gently rebuffed by that strange old man and further subsequent offers had gotten him swiftly exiled from the room. 

Just exactly how long did it take to sew one little - annoying - kid back together anyway? It had been over an hour now _at least_! Honestly, this was going to be the very, very last time that he would ever consider giving Kudo Shinichi a run for his money. The detective had the worst luck _ever_ as far as staying in one piece went. If he wanted to keep tagging along for kicks on Kaitou Kid's heists then Shinichi was just going to have to stay pint sized. Edogawa Conan wasn't anywhere near being as tempting of a target as his elder self. 

Why had he been there as Shinichi anyway? He'd seemed rather... put out about it there in the very beginning, but that had swiftly changed once the chase was on. Huh. Well, he'd just have to ask about it once the detective was awake - and coherent - again. And then he'd have to poke and prod and cajole and god only knew what else to get a straight answer out of the brat. Not exactly an easy task, Shinichi was about as good at keeping secrets as he was. Kaito grimaced in aggravation. No, it wouldn't be easy at all to get anything even remotely resembling a decent - much less truthful - explanation out of him. That didn't mean it couldn't be done, of course. It just meant that it was going to be a pain to do - on top of pain. 

And none of this speculation was helping him out any in the slightest. His ribs were killing him. He was quite certain that he was going to pass out eventually, and they'd probably be the cause of his future trip to la la land. The whole right side of his face was nice and numb. Kaito had a really bad feeling about that, but he hadn't been able to muster up the courage to go search out a mirror to see how bad the damage was yet. And on top of that, he was exceedingly worried and feeling kinda guilty about a certain little, extremely annoying detective's health. 

It was all his fault. He was solely to blame for everything. Well, okay, "kinda" didn't exactly touch upon what he was really feeling at the moment. He should have realized that Snake would escalate things. The bastard had already upped the stakes with the constant potshots. He ought to have known that it'd only been a matter of time before Snake started targeting other people. But he _hadn't_, and now someone else was paying for his reckless oversight. 

Something had to be done about it, but what? He didn't have clue one about any sort of action he could take to make it stop. Well, asides from handing over Pandora, and there was no way in hell _that_ was ever happening. The police sure as hell hadn't been able to do anything about it as of yet either. He _knew_ that they knew there was something different going on. There had been too many instances in the past few heists for them to not know about the shots that were being taken at their quarry. But Snake seemed quite adept at avoiding them. He... Well, he liked to think that the Task Force would go after a sniper, regardless of who they were shooting at. The police didn't hate him enough to want to see him dead too, did they? No, of course not. 

Kaito shook his head and rolled his eyes. Now he was just being stupid. Inspector Nakamori might want to beat the ever living crap out of him at times - which was totally deserved most of those time; and the inspector had made it his life's goal to catch the Kid and then lock him up in irons for the rest of his miserable life, but that didn't mean he wanted his erstwhile nemesis pushing up daisies. Aoko _might_ want him dead if she ever found out about his night job, but he'd cross that bridge if or when he came to it. At least he'd gotten really good at avoiding her, uh, more violent reactions to his typical behavior. That was something! He could work with that. Not that she'd ever find out, but regardless, he could work around it if it ever happened. Maybe. Hopefully. In his dreams. 

Why did his life have to be so damned complicated? Kaito hung his head in resignation and sighed, and regretted it almost instantly. It felt like someone was stabbing him repeatedly in the side with a white hot knife. _Stupid, stupid broken bones._ He grasped at his side and straightened up as best he could, but nothing seemed to alleviate the pain anymore. If he could just catch his breath, then maybe he could figure out someway to get it under control, but even that simple task was apparently beyond his capabilities right now. Well, hell. He had _known_ he was going to pass out eventually anyway. It looked like that time may have finally arrived. 

_So inconvenient._

"Now now, what's this?" Kaito squinted his eyes at the distant sound of a muffled voice. That wasn't right. He shouldn't be hearing anybody else in this eerie place. Shouldn't he? The house he'd dragged his aching carcass and the bleeding detective to had been a proverbial island of peace, calm and skin crawling serenity. _So damned creepy._ Whoever it was had to be pretty freaking loud for him to hear them all the way in here with all the doors closed and everything. Strange. 

The floor was a lot closer than he remembered it being. Huh, when had he fallen down? Kaito stared blankly down at the tatami mat underneath him while the gears in his mind slowly turned over one measly cog at a time. He'd been on the verge of... passing out. Yeah, that was it. So why was he just on his knees if he'd finally managed to pass out? Had he caught himself somehow? No, wait. That didn't explain the extra set of hands that were going out of their way to avoid putting any pressure on his ribs whilst still trying to pull him up. What the heck? 

"Come, little tanuki, let us see what we can do for you." 

That voice again. It sounded somewhat familiar, but for the life of him he couldn't recall where he might have heard it before. Kaito craned his head back and blinked blearily up at the creepy old man who went along with this creepy old house. Well, the house hadn't looked all that old. It was just the style that had appeared out of date, everything else looked kinda modern. Such a strange place they'd come to. 

"First thing's first now, let's get you on your feet," the old man said jovially as he put action to word, being extra careful to avoid jostling his newest patient too much as he hauled him up off of the floor. 

Kaito squeezed his eyes shut, his hands grasping desperately at the old man's shoulders, as he swallowed against the nausea the entire process has reawakened. The doctor, or whatever he was, had been very, very gentle in his handling of him, but apparently his ribs just didn't give a crap anymore. Damnit! He'd made it this far. He wasn't going to throw up now! He needed... He needed to think about something else! That was it. If he could just take what was left of his mind off of how awful his body was feeling, then maybe he could keep from upchucking whatever it was that his stomach didn't seem to like anymore. 

"Who are you?" Kaito asked abruptly, his eyes whipping open to study the old man with unfocused deliberation. That was a good enough, if still somewhat creepy, subject to distract himself with. Information would be a nice thing to have right about now. 

"Hmm," the old man hummed distractedly as he guided Kaito's faltering steps across the room and into the central hallway. Well, maybe the style of the house wasn't _that_ old, it just looked that way from the outside. Kaito vaguely noted. "I suppose you could say that I am an old friend of the family." 

_That_ snagged Kaito's attention. An old friend of the family? Whose? His? Then that meant... Oh yay, just what he needed, one more person who knew the identity of the real face behind the monocle. Damn. He _was_ getting to be about as bad at keeping secrets as Shinichi was. All he needed now was Nakamori looking funny at his daughter's best friend again and his night would be complete. Still, Jii had said this man was an old acquaintance of his father. He had originally assumed that that meant the old fellow was an acquaintance of the previous Kaitou Kid, but if that wasn't accurate, then what was? An old friend of the family, hmm? What exactly did _that_ mean? He couldn't recall his mother mentioning anything about shady old doctors or their too creepy to be normal houses. He needed more information. That's all there was to it. "What sort of old friend of the family might that be?" 

"The kind that often ends up patching little tanuki back together when they have gotten into more mischief than they can safely weather," the old man supplied cheerfully as he guided Kaito into another room, then eased him down onto a straight back chair. 

Kaito glanced surreptitiously around the room while the old man busied himself with something or other off to the side. The support supplied by the chair was thoroughly welcome, though somewhat awkward with no armrests. And judging by the position of said chair in the room, he had a sneaking suspicion that it had seen its fair share of clandestine "patients" in its time. If he were a betting man, and he _was_, he'd put good money on those other patients being somewhat colorful in their interpretations of the law - and what amounted to breaking it. That sinking feeling just kept getting worse and worse. Kaito really, really hoped that he hadn't just handed himself _and_ Kudo Shinichi over to a certain organization's medical branch. That would be just his luck. 

"Here now." Kaito flinched back in surprise as a sea green teacup abruptly entered his line of sight. He gave the old man a curious look and received an encouraging smile in return. "Drink this all up, and then we'll get started." 

Kaito gingerly took the proffered cup and dubiously eyed the amber colored liquid within. What was this? Some sort of tea or whatever? The cup didn't feel hot and there was no steam rising up off of it, so it didn't seem as if it were tea. Frowning, he took an experimental sniff of the stuff and nearly cracked his skull against the back of the chair trying to get away from the overpowering odor. That smell alone could take down an elephant! _Yuck._ "What the heck? Are you trying to drug me or something?" 

"It does contain a sedative if that's what you're asking," the old man explained helpfully, then chuckled goodnaturedly at the look of horror Kaito was sending his way. "I realize the odor is quite... pungent, however the effects will only last for an hour or two. You should be up and about before daybreak." 

"You admit to wanting to drug me and yet expect me to drink this stuff anyway?" Kaito shot back in complete disbelief. This old geezer had completely lost his marbles if he thought that Kaito would do something that monumentally stupid. 

"Kuroba Kaito, I am a doctor who specializes in taking care of interesting individuals such as yourself," the old man explained sternly, "And as much as you might dislike the very concept, you are much the same as they, suspicious to a fault. However, the facts remain. You are in pain. Half of your face is torn up, you have several broken ribs, and you are covered in blood - though I imagine the majority of it does not belong to you. At this point it's almost a miracle that you are still awake and moderately coherent. I obviously know your true identity, much the same as I knew your father's. He trusted me to take excellent care of him, and you are just going to have to do the same. Because frankly, you won't be going anywhere under your own power for a good bit regardless." The old man emphasized his last comment by giving Kaito a very telling once over. 

Kaito just sat there through it all, staring mutely up at the doctor, the whites of his eyes showing more and more until it almost appeared as if they might pop out by the time the old man was through. Well... then, that answered that he supposed. Kaito blinked heavily and lowered his head back down to stare blankly at the "sedative" held within his hands. He could trust the old guy... or not. Didn't look like it would matter either way. He knew Kaito's name, had probably known it for a very long time now, so no use crying over spilt milk. Besides, no matter which way he cut it, Kaito knew he wasn't going to be conscious for very much longer regardless of the amount of trust given. He'd managed to not black out earlier, but that had been pure luck on his part, and with the way he was feeling now, it was only a matter of time before it happened again. At least with the stuff the old man had given him, he'd at least tentatively know when he'd be up again. It was something... 

"Honestly, you are as stubborn as your father," the old man groused irritably as he went back to arranging something or other - looked like bandages and other medical stuff from what Kaito could see. "Trust me, it is not as bad as it smells. I'd even go so far as to say that Toichi was rather fond of the taste, though he would never admit to it. He didn't much like not being aware of his surroundings. No doubt, you are exactly the same, cut from the same cloth and all." 

Kaito whipped his head back up at the unexpected utterance of his father's name and stared mutely at the old man. It shouldn't have been unexpected, all things considered, but it had hit him as a shock all the same. There was... There was a story here, something important that he was missing, but he was just too tired to figure it out on his own right now. Too tired, too sore, too utterly bewildered to make heads or tails out of anything. It would just... It would have to wait until later. All of it. Still, there was one thing he'd at least like to have _now_. 

"You know, you still haven't given me a straight answer about who you really are," Kaito began mildly as he lowered his head back down and risked an experimental sip of the supposed liquid sleep he'd been given. Huh, the old fellow was right. It didn't taste anywhere near as bad as the smell indicated. In fact, he'd even go so far as to say that it didn't taste bad at all. "The way you've effectively avoided giving a direct answer to that question tells me that you've had a lot of experience with it. I understand how that can be. But since you seem to think that you know my name, I'd greatly appreciate knowing yours if you don't mind." 

"Takagi Aritomo," the old man offered solemnly, not even deigning to look up from whatever he was doing. "Not many people know me by that name anymore and **I** would appreciate if it stayed that way, hmm? I've grown rather fond of this house, I'd hate to have to move again over something as inconsequential as a name." 

Kaito nodded his understanding as he took another sip from the cup. He was tired, much too tired to be dealing with anything even remotely serious. He'd already admitted defeat, if only to himself, might as well try to make the best out of the situation. "You're a friendly tree?" He asked dubiously as his mind randomly latched onto a stray thought wafting through it. 

The old man sighed in what sounded like a very put upon manner. "Fruit does not fall far from the tree it seems." he muttered irritably before glancing back over his shoulder to give Kaito the evil eye. "If you must go down such an age worn route, little tanuki, then I am a tree in possession of friends." 

"Which makes you a friendly tree," Kaito countered cheerfully, then smiled ever so innocently as he took another substantial sip from his teacup. At least his brain had managed to focus long enough for it to find something to amuse him with. Names could be such useful entertainment at times. 

"I suppose some things truly are inherited," Takagi said flatly as he shook his head and turned back towards his aggravating patient. "Come on now, drink it all. I'd like to get your face taken care of before you start nodding off." 

Kaito grimaced, but did as instructed, tipping the cup against his lips and draining out the rest of the liquid. It felt a little odd going down, but he couldn't be sure whether that was caused by the ingredients in the concoction or his body doing its level best to forget that it could feel at all. The white hot knife had stopped stabbing him in the side, but by the feel of it he was starting to doubt whether there was anything left of his side anymore. It didn't feel right. His face didn't feel right. This night was completely and utterly not right and he almost wished that he could wake up now. A lucid nightmare would be far preferable to the situation he now found himself entrenched within. Of course, he wasn't that lucky, and even if he were, Kudo Shinichi sure as hell wasn't. 

_Shinichi..._

The detective must be all right. Well, as okay as a person can get with two bullet holes in them. But anyway, the old man would have mentioned otherwise if that were not so, or at least Kaito liked to think so. Still, he ought to ask. Better to hear it from the horse's mouth, as it were, than to just assume that everything was sailing along smoothly. The words were forming on the tip of his tongue, but before Kaito could give them voice a hand reached down and pried the now empty teacup out of his shaky grasp - when had that started up? Kaito blinked ponderously in thought as the safe, familiar weight of his top hat was removed from atop his head. A sliver of pure, undiluted panic wormed its way through his mind, but he crushed it down ruthlessly. There was absolutely no point in having a freak out about the removal of his hat by a guy who already knew his real name. That bridge was well and truly burned, which brought him right back to his original concern. 

"So, how's the kid?" Kaito asked, his tone light and encouraging and so thoroughly out of place that it wasn't even funny anymore. Crud, Kaito wasn't sure he could've sounded more suspicious even if he'd tried. Still, the "doc" didn't know the particulars about his previous patient and as far as this little thief was concerned he never would. At the very least, the old man wouldn't hear word one about it from him. Secrets were secrets, after all, regardless of how they had been obtained. Besides, he kind of liked Kudo Shinichi, as much as he could ever like a know it all, stick in the mud detective type. In fact, he'd go so far as to say they could probably be friends if not for the whole criminal aspect of their typical meetings. The type of betrayal it would require to give away the little detective's present circumstances was something that Kaito wouldn't even allow himself to contemplate. He was a thief at worst, a master magician who took after his father at best. Neither of those concepts led one down the road to murder, which is what it would be if certain individuals found out about the secrets Edogawa Conan was keeping. And that was something that Kaito did _not_ want to think about even at the best of times. 

"The little one is as well as can be expected," Takagi said with half a mind as he hooked his fingers under Kaito's chin and tilted the teen's head back. "Curiously so, in fact." 

"Oh?" Kaito prompted as he turned his head to the left a bit, an action indicated by the gentle pressure being exerted by the doctor's fingers. He winced slightly as his monocle was removed, but didn't protest the unmasking. Again, there wasn't much point at kicking up a fuss about it now. He did scowl unhappily at the very visible ring of crusted blood that circled the frame, but at least there had been no obvious cracks or scratches in the glass. That would have been a bitch to repair. Well, not really, but it was the principle of the thing. 

"Yes, a very strange case that one," the doctor mumbled half to himself and half to the room at large as he crossed back over to the table, noting the blood upon the monocle with a small scowl before setting it down beside the white top hat. "Your little friend is a very unique individual, I'd wager," he continued as he turned back to the phantom thief with a cloth in one hand and a bottle of something in the other - alcohol most likely. "He didn't lose half as much blood as one would expect from wounds like that. And they were strange ones, to be sure. By every indication, they were made by bullets, but the wounds were much too small for a simple run of the mill shooting." 

Kaito smiled sweetly as Takagi directed a long, penetrating look at him. It lasted much longer than he would have liked, but the old man finally shook his head in what Kaito supposed was long suffering resignation and bent himself back to the task of cleaning the crusted blood off of his patient's face. 

"Be thankful for your father's monocle," the old man muttered sourly as he wiped down Kaito's right temple, "It's quite likely that you would have lost the eye if you hadn't been wearing it." 

Kaito froze and what was left of his stomach dropped out as a cold, sick feeling of shock washed over him. He... hadn't even thought about that. He'd been more worried about getting his effects back from that demonic tree before the Task Force arrived than the actual state of his face. The possibility of maiming aside, he hoped he didn't need stitches. He wouldn't think about the rest right now, wouldn't _allow_ himself to think about it. That could wait until later, much, much later, when he'd have all the time in the world to turn into a gibbering mess over the horror of what might have been. 

"It's not as bad as it looks," the doctor offered kindly. It was probably meant to be a comfort or at least a distraction, or hell, maybe both. Either way, Kaito didn't really care much about the old man's reasoning at the moment. It was a small thing, but it was more than enough for him to focus on instead of the dreadful 'might have been's that were dancing around in the back of his mind. He wasn't going to think about that right now! "The slashes are deep but I don't think they'll need to be stitched up," Takagi explained further as he continued to gently remove the dried blood. "The biggest concern will be from possible infection. There's a lot of debris buried in the wounds. Tree bark mostly by the looks of it." 

Kaito laughed weakly at the disapproving look that observation earned him. _Damned tree!_ "I guess I won't be needing a pirate's eye patch anytime soon then, huh?" He didn't even bother to look up to see what expression that comment had produced. No doubt, it was something akin to disgust. Instead, he closed his eyes and just let it be for awhile. 

When this was all over he was going to go back to that stupid park, find that gods-be-damned tree, cut it down, burn it and then soak the ground around it in holy water. Multiple times. Maybe he should take some acid along too, just to be sure. He didn't really need the spirit of a satanic tree haunting him, after all. Not that acid would help much in that regard, but it sure would make him feel better to watch the remnants of that purest of evils sizzle away into the atmosphere. Maybe he should take Shinichi along for that... Nah. The detective would probably view it as wanton destruction of public property. _Spoilsport._ As far as Kaito was concerned, the world would be a better place without such a vile stain upon its soil. 

Yes, that's what he'd do. He'd rid the world of that cursed thing before it could lay its twisted branches on anymore innocent souls such as himself. With that gleeful thought of divine retribution held firmly in his mind's eye, Kaito leaned back and decided that now would probably be a good time to let the sedative finish its job. The doc would be done with his face eventually and he didn't really want to be around for the follow up performance with his broken ribs. He wasn't a complete moron, nor was he insane, no matter how much certain lawful - and boring - individuals might think otherwise. 

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Note: Takagi = "tall tree"; Aritomo = "have/possess" and "friend" 

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To Be Continued...


	3. Part 3

**A Long Drop to Perdition  
**_**by Meimi**_

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Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Aoyama Gosho or anyone who hold rights to Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. It isn't mine, I'm just playing with it. 

Note: I really appreciate all the reviews I've received so far for this story, and I'd like to apologize for not answering any of them. FFnet and I have a bit of a hate-hate relationship, so if anyone has any questions please feel free to visit the link listed as my homepage on my profile. It leads to a livejournal community where I post my fanfiction. 

* * *

The first thing that Kaito did when he woke up was panic. It was a quiet, understated panic, but a panic nonetheless. _He didn't know where he was!_ This wasn't his room. It was far too spacious - and sparse. Man, he had way too much junk in his room for this one to ever be his. A fact that his mother oh so helpfully reminded him of on a daily basis. It wasn't his fault. He was a magician! Magicians collected crap. It was just another aspect of the job. Besides, his room wasn't anywhere near being as cluttered as his dad's. It's a wonder he ever managed to find the suit in all that crap. 

If this wasn't his room, then whose was it? What exactly had he been doing that night to land himself in somebody else's bed? If Akako was messing around with him again he was going to... going to... well, he'd think of something. But no, that didn't ring true. What was it? What had happened? Oh, wait, that's right. There had been a heist and- Oh yeah, Kudo Shinichi had ruined his night _yet again_, and had nearly gotten himself killed in the process. _Stupid detective._ Kaito huffed as he carefully raised himself up into a seated position. Shinichi's little "accident" wasn't the only thing he was remembering from earlier. 

His side ached, but it was a diffused sort of pain that seemed to throb more at the surface than where it really ought to. And his head felt _weird_, almost as if it would float off at any given moment. That bothered him. Just what exactly had that old man done to him after he'd conked out? Kaito wracked his brain for any sort of indicator for what might have happened, but all he could recall was a stinging sensation on his face and the pleasant thought of woodchips. After that there was just a blank until he'd woken up. 

This wasn't even the same room that tree fellow had been treating him in. Must be stronger than he looks, Kaito mused as he glanced around the place. It definitely wasn't anywhere near being as junked up as his own room was, that's for sure. In fact, it barely had any furniture in it at all. Just the nice - deliriously comfy - western style bed he'd woken up in and the nightstand placed beside it. The only other substantial things in the room were a handful of landscape paintings hung up on the walls. Weird. It was such a big room, why not put more stuff in it? 

Oh well, at least there was a window in the far wall. Sure, it looked out over the serenely, and extremely creepy, yard, but at least it was a view to freedom. Huh, there was a pond out there too. He vaguely remembered seeing it the night before, but he'd been a bit too preoccupied with other things to really take much note of it. Nice little thing, it'd probably be pretty and calm and far too normal looking once the sun had finished rising. Right now the water had just barely collected the faintest of glimmers from the pre-dawn light... 

_Dawn!_

_Oh crap!_ He was supposed to have been up long before now! Kaito flew out of the bed and squeaked as his brain decided to take that as its cue to start doing loopty-loops around the inside of his skull. Closing his eyes against the vertigo, he flung his arms out and somehow managed to brace himself against the wall before he ended up as an ungainly pile on the floor. Drugs. He'd been drugged. That had to be it, and it made sense what with the lack of any real significant pain. He still hurt, but it was nowhere near being at the level it should have been. Unfortunately, it still felt like he was moving even though he was standing still. That indicated something a bit more than painkillers swimming around in his system. He was well versed in the many, varied effects of those wondrous pills, and while they would account for the wooziness, they'd never managed to destroy his equilibrium quite so _effectively_ before. Had to be something else. 

What was it? Kaito tried to arrange his thoughts into some semblance of order as he slowly eased his back against the wall and then very carefully slid down to the floor. Horrific vertigo, a lack of defined pain, and... he was feeling kinda sick to his stomach too now that he thought about it. Some form of anesthesia then? Mister friendly tree - who wasn't looking all that friendly right now - had given him something else? What for? There wasn't all that much that could be done for broken ribs, unless... Oh. Oh _shit_. 

Kaito grit his teeth and cracked his eyes open. The room fuzzed around for a few seconds, but pretty much stayed where it was supposed to. Well, that was something. At least he could function somewhat when he was sitting still. Wouldn't save his tail in a pinch, but it was something he could work with for the moment. There wasn't anything that could really be done for broken ribs except time, but broken bones weren't always the main concern with that particular brand of trauma. Kaito carefully craned his head down, finally taking note of the sleeping robe he was decked out in. No sign of his suit anywhere, but he'd worry about that later. Depending on how bad the break was, and what the injured _idiot_ got up to before getting himself treated, there was always the danger of punctured organs. Grimacing slightly, Kaito gingerly pulled the robe open and stared down at the bandages encircling his chest. _Gauze_. No tape. 

This did not bode well. Laughing weakly to himself, Kaito ran his fingers up his side before hooking them under the top edge of the bandages. He hesitated for a moment, but then finally pulled them down some to see underneath. By now, he pretty much knew what he'd find, but he should confirm it anyway. And yeah, those did appear to be stitches. _Shit_. 

Grousing to himself, Kaito smoothed the bandages out again and yanked the robe back into place. Great, just great. He'd really done it this time. No more heists for the duration. The risk was just too great. Sure, he might take his life into his own hands all the time, but if he wasn't at his full game then he was risking more than just himself. The Task Force was good, Oh, they were _real_ good. Kaito couldn't resist the little flash of pride that crossed his face at the thought. He'd managed to whip that particular police force into something phenomenal. Still, there were times when he had to act to keep some of them from getting hurt, and if he couldn't react properly thanks to his wounds... Well then, he'd just have to sit it out for awhile and let his body heal itself up right for a change. Shinichi would probably be completely hale and healthy before he was. Now that was a depressing thought. 

And he really ought to get himself out of this situation first before thinking about other, longer lasting courses of action. The Kaitou Kid could go on an unannounced vacation, but Kuroba Kaito sure as hell couldn't disappear for any given length of time before concerns were raised - as well as suspicions. Time to get up. 

It was much easier said than done. The vertigo hit him _hard_ the instant he began to move, but he was ready for it this time around. The process of getting up was also laboriously difficult, and he had to just stop every few seconds to let everything settle, but somehow or other he finally managed to get back on his feet - to a certain extent. Kaito leaned heavily against the wall and waited to see what would happen. The wobbliness of his present reality was either going to get better or stay the same. Granted, it would probably shift again once he attempted the chore of walking, but he'd at least like to get a better feel for just how sickening the change might be so that he could try and compensate for it. Maybe. 

The dizziness didn't ebb much, perhaps just a sliver, but the room did slow its freakish spinning down to a more sedate swaying. It kinda reminded him of being underwater, which _sucked_, because there were things underwater that he wanted nothing to do with, but he could deal. As long as he didn't start hallucinating about those... **things** then life would be roses. Lots and lots of roses that swayed in the breeze just so, but he was a master of roses - among other things. 

Grinning humorlessly to himself, Kaito pushed off carefully from the wall and, keeping one hand braced firmly against it, took a small experimental step forward. The swaying added a nice drunken lilt to it, but thankfully, he did not end up with his face in the floor. One small step for man; one giant leap for phantom thieves. Hooray. Now if he could just keep that up. 

He didn't know how long it took him to reach the door, and frankly, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know. There was only so much pathetic Kaito could deal with in one single night. Still, it was a lot brighter outside when he finally laid his hands upon it, though not quite day just yet. Almost there though. Damnit. Steeling himself, Kaito cautiously slid the door open and peeked out. The hallway was empty, but also abnormally spacious. The old guy had to be loaded, which wasn't exactly a welcome thought. There were so many bothersome ways that a person could accumulate wealth in this day and age, especially when it apparently required at least a modest amount of secrecy. He _really_ didn't want to be here anymore, thanks all the same. 

It was a pity that his choices in that regard were so few. He needed his suit back, he needed to find Shinichi, he needed to know what sort of shape Shinichi was in and whether he could be moved, and he needed to know just how bad his own health problems were. None of those very important things went along with the ever so appealing idea of just getting the hell out of there. His life was chock full of melodramatic dialogue and hysterical happenings all encased in the luscious disguise of comedic tragedy. Or would that be tragic comedy? Either or, he supposed. One always led to the other for him anyway. And would that perhaps count as a Greek tragedy? 

Kaito's steps were light, barely ghosting along the floor - or maintaining his balance -, as he quietly made his way down the hall. He passed by one empty room and then another. This place was big, and far too clean, neither of which seemed to fit well with just one suspicious old man living there on his own. Well, there went another point in favor of _panic mode_. And then he stopped dead in his tracks, his mind screeching to an immediate halt. That last room hadn't been empty. 

His lips thinned into a determined line as Kaito took several measured steps backward, stubbornly ignoring how the hallway listed to and fro thanks to them. His fingers trailed back along the wall, then through empty air before latching onto the half open doorway he'd blithely passed by earlier and yanking it the rest of the way open. Well, at least he'd found one of his objectives. 

The room wasn't quite as empty as the one he'd woken up in. There was a shelf in place of the nightstand. Said shelf was loaded down with various medical paraphernalia, nothing too serious by the look of it. Beside that was an IV drip, and beside that was a more hospital style bed than his had been, and on the other side of the bed was a softly beeping machine - a heart monitor most likely. Ensconced upon the bed was Edogawa Conan, boy detective. Who, of course, wasn't really a little boy, but he sure looked it at the moment. 

Kaito grumbled quietly to himself as he made a beeline across the room to the bed, tilting a little bit, but only giving the vertigo enough thought to keep from tripping himself up. This really wasn't fair. Shinichi was just too freaking cute as Conan. It was obscene. No one should look that adorable and yet still be such a bear to shake off. Damned stubborn detective, it was just his desserts to end up in a creepy hospital type situation. He should know better than to keep going when it was time to throw in the towel. So why did he have to look so pitiful and small laying there? It just added to his guilt! And _god_, he felt guilty enough about it already. 

This was his fault, entirely his fault. Kaito chewed nervously on his bottom lip as his gaze slid to the side, following the small plastic tubing that led from Shinichi's arm up to the IV drip. A little bag hung from a hook at the end. There were pinkish red dregs streaked through it, which left little to the imagination. The detective had lost enough blood to need replenishment. Lovely. The heart monitor beeped steadily, but as far as Kaito could tell it was within normal parameters. That was good. He may not be a doctor - or anywhere near to being one -, but he liked to think that he was in possession of enough knowledge to know if something was wrong there. 

The detective was pale, but that was to be expected. They were both fair skinned to begin with. It wouldn't take much to make either of them paler than usual. He didn't look sickly pale though, so that was a plus. Reaching over, Kaito pushed Shinichi's bangs out of the way and eyed the bandage wrapped around his head critically. He doubted that the shrinkage had dealt much with the dent and whatever cracks that might have gone with it, but hopefully with the wound being smaller and all it would help it heal faster. 

Kaito brushed Shinichi's hair back into place, then gently pulled the blankets down and tugged the little detective's robe open. He ran his fingers over the bandages crossing Shinichi's shoulder, pushing down here and there, gauging the state of them by texture. They didn't feel very thick and there were no apparent blood spots at the site of the wound, so that was good. Very, very good in fact. Smiling to himself in a rather pleased manner, Kaito closed the robe and then pulled the blankets back up to _Conan_'s chin. If things continued the way they were going, the detective would be back "home" in no time. Excellent. 

Of course, there was still the little matter of a likely concussion along with being in unknown territory. But the first probably wasn't too awful bad since the doctor had left him alone for awhile. And it wasn't like he could really wake him up or anything. If their crash landing and the trip over hadn't woken him up, then Shinichi was definitely going to be out for a good while yet. As for being in unknown territory, well, that's what Kaito was there for, to keep his favorite little critic marginally in one piece so that he could terrorize him again at a later date. He was such a humanitarian. 

And now it was time to go and find out just how friendly a certain friendly tree really was. Kaito spared Shinichi one last look before turning around to head back. He almost spun out onto the floor - again -, but a quick grab at the bed kept him from face planting. Right, vertigo, keep sudden movements to a minimum if at all possible. Though, it didn't feel quite so much like he was walking on a ship listing in a typhoon anymore, now it was maybe just a dingy in the rain. That was a welcome improvement. It meant something was wearing off. Hooray for the return of sense. Well, whatever it was he had that often masqueraded as some form of sense. He had misplaced the normal kind a long time ago. 

The trip back to the doorway was a lot easier than the one in had been, even if he had been more focused on his quarry rather than his balance at the time. But before heading back out into the hall, Kaito glanced back, giving the IV a heavy look, his gaze following the same trail as it had just a short while before. The old man apparently got enough business to either have blood on hand, or a quick way to get it. But that wasn't what was really bugging Kaito at that particular moment. 

There were stitches in his side, stitches where there had been no apparent flesh wound just a few hours prior. That indicated some form of surgery, but there hadn't been any machinery in the room he'd woken up in. That was probably a good indication that things were okay, but still. Frowning slightly, Kaito pushed the sleeves of his robe back and raked his gaze across his arms. They were free of bandages and bandaids, but there had to be something. He hadn't been that out of it to have slept through somebody cutting him open without some assistance to keep him under. And well, yes, there was that whole "cut him open" aspect. Had he ended up needing blood too? 

The skin on his arms was far from unblemished. He might not have broken anything there, but they had hit the ground during the crash right along with everything else. Bruises dotted the entirety of his lower arms, faint in places and viciously livid in others. He was really going to be hurting for awhile, that's for sure. There weren't any scrapes though, and definitely no signs of scabs that he could determine, but maybe... Yeah, there was a little dot of darkish red on the inside of his arm. He'd had his own little personal IV too, it seemed, but it had been removed before his awakening, or perhaps he'd been moved from it. 

Dropping his arms, and giving them a little shake so the sleeves would fall back down into place, Kaito stepped out into the hallway. The old man had to be around somewhere. He felt stable enough to walk without having to trail his hand along a wall anymore, which was a very nice thing. Either the drugs were starting to clear up on their own or he'd managed to burn them out somewhat thanks to his focus on Shinichi's state of health. Either way, it was a point in his favor. He liked being able to walk and not risk falling over with every single step he took. 

The hallway branched off a little further on. Kaito decided to take the one that was lit rather the one that was still draped in shadows. He doubted that the old man had gone to bed just yet. Unless, of course, he had called somebody in to help out, but Kaito hadn't seen signs of anyone else so it was a pretty good bet that the friendly tree was still puttering around somewhere. Probably the kitchen, tea - and more importantly, caffeine - was a lovely thing to have after a long night spent doing unpleasant things. 

And there was tea involved, but the doctor was not drinking it as of yet. Kaito found it quite interesting that there were _two_ steaming cups set upon the central table. But rather than paying them any mind, the old man was instead busy folding up some very familiar looking clothes. Well, he'd found his suit, and Shinichi's clothes along with it. They looked a lot cleaner than he remembered them being. He couldn't even make out any bloodstains in the places where there ought to have been some. What the heck? 

"I'm afraid there wasn't much I could do about your cape," Takagi Aritomo stated blandly as he held up the shredded garment in question and gave Kaito something of an apologetic look. "There's really only so much one can do with damage such as this." 

Kaito smiled pleasantly as he stepped into the small dining room, tucking his hands into his sleeves. "Oh, don't worry about it. I have a few spares for just such an occasion." The old man grunted lightly as if in agreement, then swiftly folded the tattered cape up into something that moderately bordered on neat before placing it on top of the rest of their clothes. "You cleaned my suit," Kaito murmured, his tone curious and aimed at getting something more than just an assent. 

"We can't have you waltzing around in blood stained clothing, little tanuki," the old man said airily as he sat down, pulled one of the cups closer to himself and pushed the other towards the chair opposite him. Kaito accepted the obvious invitation and plopped down. "Such things raise far too many questions that neither of us are inclined to answer truthfully much less at all." 

"That's very true," Kaito chirped cheerfully in agreement as he wrapped his hands around the teacup, enjoying the heat wafting off it far more than he let on. He hadn't realized it, but he was feeling just a tad bit chilled, probably a fever. What joy. "Still, I must thank you for it. You've saved me quite a bit of time, and you even cleaned my friend's clothes too." 

"Yes, though I doubt they'll fit," the old fellow muttered sourly as he gave Kaito a rather pointed stare. Kaito merely blinked innocently in return. Takagi looked heavenward for a moment, as if in familiar resignation, before continuing, "At any rate, he should not be moved for awhile yet. Not until he's awake and lucid, at the very least. And you really shouldn't be moving about much either, but I greatly doubt that you're any different from your father in that regard. As long as it involved someone else's health, he was all ears. Start talking solely about his own and he'd wave it off as being unimportant." 

Kaito grinned cheekily at that. It _was_ true, he tended to ignore his own aches and pains, but if somebody else was hurt, that was something else altogether. And maybe he did feel a little curl of giddy happiness at being compared to his father like that. He liked the idea of them sharing personality quirks. It made it feel like they were a lot closer than what could be afforded by several years of loss. But as much as he'd like to, he couldn't ignore one aspect of his present health. "So what's up with the stitches?" Kaito prodded encouragingly. 

The old man blinked at him in surprise, then waved his hand negatively in the air as understanding dawned upon him. "It is nothing to be concerned about. You broke three rib bones, but they were clean breaks, more or less," he explained as he leaned back with teacup in hand, "Now, there was quite a bit of tearing in the muscles and tendons on that side. I had to do some work on the more severe ones, but that's about it. There was some bruising with the lung, but no puncturing. You'll probably have a little difficulty breathing for a few days until that's healed up some. Other than that, you should be fine." The doctor eyed Kaito critically for a moment, then smiled smugly as he asked, "How much pain are you feeling?" 

Kaito arched an eyebrow skeptically, but answered truthfully, "Not much, just a lingering ache in the general area. It's probably more from you cutting me open rather than the bones themselves." 

The doctor chuckled, his smile turning into an outright grin. "I thought as much." 

Okay, now that was just too much. The old man was up to something, and Kaito didn't care much about being left out of the loop, most especially since it very much concerned him. "What did you do to me?" 

"Nothing bad, I can assure you." Takagi's smile turned almost apologetic, but there was still a tinge of smug pride to it. "It is merely a new procedure that a few innovative Americans came up with in recent years. This has merely been the first time I've had a chance to try out my own particular spin on it. As I'm sure you're aware," he explained, "There's not much that can really be done for broken ribs. You can't immobilize the chest as is required with other fractures without risking harm. Well, these imaginative young surgeons came up with an interesting idea." 

"And that is?" Kaito prompted. 

"Plates, little tanuki, plates," the doctor answered smartly, smirking at Kaito's questioning look, "Or to be more precise, plates with hooks. They're little devices that bridge the gap and help to hold the bones in place, thus facilitating the healing process whilst minimizing the pain." 

"And you put these plates in me?" 

"Pretty much, yes. My own version of them is a nice little polyurethane blend," the old man explained further. "Theirs are made of titanium, but my usual clientele would rather not risk setting off any kind of metal detector." 

"I see." Kaito nodded sagely, his outer calm completely belying the fact that inside he was starting to include friendly trees in his schemes at ridding the world of demonic ones. "So what you're saying is that you drugged me and cut me open because I was such an appealing experimental subject?" 

"You can't say it isn't helping," Takagi practically purred. "They can be removed, if you like, once the bones have healed up. Right now though, they are the only things keeping you from being something of an invalid." 

Kaito grinned cheerlessly in response to that. "I hope you don't consider it rude of me, but I don't think I like you much anymore." 

"Have no fear, it was a sentiment your father eagerly shared at times." The old man nodded to himself at that, looking completely unconcerned as he finally took a sip of their much cooler tea. "But I'm afraid you'll just have to get used to it. I'm far too set in my ways to change at this late a date. Besides, now that you know I'm something of a manipulative bastard when it comes to taking care of my patients, you'll know what to expect next time." 

"Right." Not that there will ever be a next time, Kaito thought snidely to himself. What in the world had his father ever seen in this crazy dude? He didn't seem like the type that his family would associate with, too shady. Then again, maybe that was the point. They _were_ a bit shady themselves. But still! He didn't cut people open without asking first! Ick. 

"You needn't worry about your friend," the doctor said soothingly, "He's much too young to risk anything experimental on unless absolutely necessary." 

"Well that's a relief," Kaito muttered flatly. It was, actually, but he wasn't going to give the old coot any leeway at this point. He was _not happy_ about recent events and this fake friendly tree was making himself out to be the perfect target for Kaito's burgeoning ire. He should have at least asked Kaito's permission first before doing something like that. Sure, he rather preferred not being in pain, but he liked knowing about things like that beforehand too. And well, yes, that was the crux of it. He didn't like being told about stuff concerning himself long after the fact. That's just not how things were done. 

Inwardly, Kaito sulked. Outwardly, he drank his damned tea in companionable silence. Revenge was best served cold and creatively. He would need time to come up with something dastardly appropriate to inflict upon the old codger. Besides, now that he knew about his own state of health, there were other concerns to ponder upon. There were a few irritating things that had no doubt arisen over the course of the night that would have to be dealt with. And soon. 

Kaito's gaze slid off of the evil, friendly tree and over to the pile of clothes stacked neatly upon the table. The familiar white suit was briefly touched upon, but it was the dark blue one that belonged to a certain little annoyance that was his sight's true destination. The Kaitou Kid had disappeared into the night with Kudo Shinichi in tow. 

He was going to have to do something about that. 

* * *

To Be Continued...


	4. Part 4

**A Long Drop to Perdition  
**_**by Meimi**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Aoyama Gosho or anyone who hold rights to Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. It isn't mine, I'm just playing with it. 

Note: I realize that there are a few cosmetic similarities between the latest chapter for Kat Morning's "The Moriarty Gambit" and this part, and I did think about altering it so it didn't look like I was copying anything from her. But ultimately I'm lazy and didn't feel like messing around with Perdition's outline any. I'm pretty certain that the goals for our stories are a bit different, so any similarities should remain at a minimum. If any of you haven't read her story yet though, I highly recommend it! She updates faster than I do too! 

* * *

There was a note waiting for him when he got home. Taped to the inside of the trick door. He was in _trouble_. Kaito grimaced and very deliberately turned away from it. It could wait. He needed to put all of his crap up first. There were still some smoke bombs, flash bombs, and other nice little surprises stuffed in every nook and cranny of his suit. Granted, most of them weren't in the same place as they had been when he'd left for his heist the night before, but he was not going to think about that right now. Nor was he going to think about just exactly _why_ he didn't need to clean any of it off either, even though he was definitely going to have to think about that at one point or another. It was way too disturbing how one _creepy_ tree - friendly or not - knew just how to get him out of his suit without setting anything off, much less how to clean all of his equipment without having it blow up in his face. Yeah, that _was_ disturbing on so many levels. Where in the hell had his dad met that crazy old coot, anyway? 

No. No, he really wasn't going to think about that right now. There was only so much multi-tasking one little phantom thief could do at one time without having the general insanity of a heist to take precedence and enforce some sort of order to the maelstrom. He had _things_ to do and more disasters than he cared to count at the moment to patch back together. Somehow. "Detectives suck, dad," Kaito groused as he stared forlornly at his tattered cape, "They always cause problems. It never fails. There you are, just minding your own business, everything's going great and **BAM!** They nearly get themselves killed and _you_ have to fix it. But will that earn you any gratitude? Will it stop them from trying to kill you the next time your paths cross? Hell no, they're too damned determined and nosy to ever leave you alone until they've _unmasked you_. Like _that's_ ever going to happen." 

Kaito fussed over his Kid suit for another minute or so, then sighed and dubiously eyed the other set of clothes he'd brought back with him. Shinichi had absolutely no sense of fashion, but at least when it was sans the bowtie the blue suit didn't look too awful horrible. The old man had done a really good job of cleaning it up too, but it still had a bullet hole in it. Thus, it was completely unusable for certain _nefarious_ plans he had in mind for later. He could always whip up a reasonable facsimile in no time flat, but for once, Kaito just didn't feel like it. Besides, he had to drop by the idiot's house anyway, might as well "borrow" some of Shinichi's adult clothes while he was at it for authenticity's sake. It wasn't as if they wouldn't fit. _Him_, at least. 

And since that was all far too easy to decide upon, he was left right back where he started: there was an executioner's note waiting for him on the door. Kaito slowly craned his head around and glared at the innocuous little sheet of paper. He hadn't done anything! Lately. There was no reason for her to be pissed off enough to leave a note behind for him in _dad's room_. At least, not anything he could think of. The last big prank he'd pulled at home had been over a week ago. He'd been too busy scoping out the sight for his next heist to manage anything serious. He hadn't seen Aoko in a few days either, so it couldn't be her ratting him out for anything. No one else came to mind either. Well, there was Hakuba, but he doubted the jerk would ever consider harassing his mother. For one thing, she would see right through it and eat mister oh so smart detective _alive_. For another, he'd annihilate anybody who messed with his family, and Hakuba ought to know him well enough by now to have realized that little fact. The only other option was Akako... Euck. She wouldn't try to charm his mother to get at him, would she? 

He was just going to have to read the note to find out; and what a pleasant conclusion that was to arrive at. Grimacing, both at himself and that uncanny predilection he had for landing his butt firmly into irritating situations, Kaito shuffled his way over to the door. Shinichi's karma must be rubbing off on him somehow. That had to be it! Really, all he needed now was an impromptu corpse to make the morning perfectly horrible. 

There was only one single sentence emblazoned across the white paper, which meant that there was a second, much longer note located somewhere else in the house. Still, it didn't appear as if she was in kill mode yet. Her handwriting would be a lot neater if she was pissed about something. That was good. He could downgrade his alarm to something more feasible to work with. Now, as for the contents of the note... 

Kaito reached forward and carefully peeled the tape off of the picture. The note had been situated in such a way to look as if his father, as Kaitou Kid, was delivering the bad news. The effect was not lost on him. The subject of the note, however, obliterated whatever nice feelings the obvious gesture might have produced in him. 

_You had better not have gotten that poor boy in trouble with the police._

How did she know? Kaito's stomach turned to ice as he pushed his way through the trick door and went off in search of the other note. It would have more specific information and he needed that right now. The police weren't foolish enough to give certain names to the press, were they? Surely they must have realized by now that those _names_ were deliberately being left out of the public's eye for a reason. Sure, Nakamori was a little crazy in his pursuit of his arch nemesis, but he wasn't that oblivious to hush hush things that had slowly filtered down through the police force. He had better not be! Kaito would rather not die more than once because of this entire disaster, but if Kudo Shinichi's name had somehow made its way out to less careful ears, then the detective would **kill** him. 

Crap! Where was it? It had to be here somewhere! She always left another note, sometimes even multiples if she was feeling the slightest bit sadistic. There were no telltale slivers of white paper sticking out anywhere in his room, or the living room, or the kitchen, but there was a folded up newspaper laying oh so innocently on the dining table - with nothing else around it. Kaito picked it up, his eyes darting across the headlines and then focusing upon the main story. It was about the heist, of course. Nothing unusual there, some stuff about the jewel he'd gotten away with - which had also been cleaned by a certain _tree_ -, Nakamori's bitching, shots fired- Ah, so they had noticed them. That was something of a relief, he supposed. Well, it was either that or another point to worry about. Hopefully they wouldn't get any stupid ideas and make targets out of themselves. Having certain aggravating detectives getting shot at was more than enough for him to deal with. He didn't need extras. 

There was a longer mention of his little joyride and subsequent crash, a bit of sensationalist amazement that the incredible Kaitou Kid had managed to escape his pursuers after such a harrowing experience, but no mention of one Kudo Shinichi. That was good. He might live through this after all. _Ah hell._ An unfortunate detail had been leaked. _Great._ They'd discovered blood at what they'd assumed was the crash site. It was a brief mention, but that was really all he needed to know. Hakuba would have been all over it, which meant that the police would definitely know by now that he hadn't been the only one injured. That complicated matters. It still didn't explain why his mother knew about it though. There hadn't been any mention of his passenger anywhere in the article. The police had actually managed to keep that under wraps. Somehow. So how did she know? 

His eyes narrowing in suspicion, Kaito held the newspaper out in front of him and shook it. A single piece of white paper slipped out after the third jolt and floated towards the floor. Tossing the paper aside, Kaito snatched the note up and grinned in triumph at the scrawl encompassing one side. Time for some answers. 

_You didn't come home!_

Well, duh. Kaito rolled his eyes and scowled at that particular sentence. It was neater than any of the others. Yep, he was still in trouble. 

_Your classmate dropped by this morning asking for you._

Classmate? Couldn't have been Aoko, otherwise she would have called her by name. 

_You weren't home, of course._

That one was a little neater too. 

_He wasn't surprised._

Oh great. Hakuba. 

_He said that a mutual friend of yours, Kudo Shinichi, had been involved in some sort of accident last night during the Kaitou Kid heist. He was wondering if you had heard anything from him yet._

Yep, Hakuba'd definitely had a field day analyzing all the blood they'd left behind. Still, it was a bit careless of him to imply that they both knew Shinichi, since as far as anybody knew Kuroba Kaito and Kudo Shinichi were complete unknowns to each other. He'd have to milk that mistake for all it was worth. It just wouldn't be right not to. 

_He was awfully concerned. And very twitchy. What have you done to this poor boy?_

"Anything and everything, mom," Kaito grumbled, "He totally deserves it." 

_He asked me to pass along his contact information in case you don't have it already. Such a suspicious boy! I didn't include it, of course. I'm sure you already have everything you might possibly need._

Kaito smirked. "You know me so well." 

_He'd like you to call him if you hear anything about your friend._

"Oh Hakuba," Kaito purred, "You are so transparent. Though this is a bit more heavy handed than our usual song and dance." He frowned a moment later as something else occurred to him. "Are you worried more about Shinichi or me? And should I be jealous if it's the former?" 

_At any rate, you had __**better**__ fix things up for Shinichi, otherwise you'll be wishing Ginzo had caught you when I'm through with you!_

"Since when are you two on a first name basis?" Kaito squawked indignantly at the offending slip of paper. "And what's this about _Shinichi_? You don't even know him!" Wait. Something wasn't right. She might get fresh with him, but that was par for the course. With anyone else she was sweetness and light and perfectly sculpted manners. She wouldn't call somebody by their name, even in a note, unless she knew them somehow. 

Screwing his face up in concentration, Kaito wracked his brain for any reference to a Kudo that did not come from his nightly jaunts, but nothing came to mind. He hadn't run across anyone from that nosy, psychotic family before donning his father's less law abiding persona. "I'm missing something here." That was the only explanation that might possibly fit. He'd only just started calling Shinichi by his first name the night before. There had to be some unknown familiarity there for her to throw his name out so casually. 

Well, that was one more unsettling tidbit of information to add to the ever growing pile. First it had been that creepy old man, and now it was this. Why had his life suddenly decided to stop making sense? The sapphire he'd stolen last night hadn't been around long enough to ratchet up any substantial curses on it. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of Akako lately either, so he doubted it was a spell of hers that was screwing everything up. So apparently everything that was going on now had already been there, he just hadn't known about it. 

He _hated_ not knowing things! Growling, Kaito slapped the paper back down on the table and spun around on his heels. "We are going to have to have a little chat later on, young lady," he hissed under his breath as he stalked away. 

First thing's first though, he did need to start fixing things before they got any further out of hand. Hakuba's odd little visit was a rather good indicator that things were going to get really bad really quick if some damage control wasn't applied, and soon. He could have a heart to heart with his mother later. Right now, he needed to gear up for fooling the police in their home territory. 

"You know too damn many people, Shinichi, and they all like panicking at once." Speaking of something akin to panic, Kaito froze in mid stride as he caught his reflection in some glass. He should probably have a better look at that before doing anything else. A quick trek to the bathroom followed and soon he was staring agog at the mess the right side of his face had turned into overnight. He hadn't needed stitches?! It sure looked like he should have. Ouch. This was going to be a problem... 

Or maybe not. Kaito cracked a grin at the idea forming in his head. Yes, that might work. And it could very well deflect some unwanted attention from his local peanut gallery. If Kudo Shinichi showed up looking this bad, then Hakuba might just be more inclined towards sympathizing with the poor guy rather than the typical suspicious cynicism. Besides, since they were on break, he could come up with some believable reasons for Kuroba Kaito to be unavailable for visits or trips - as long as his mother knew about it. That way he could still chat on the phone, and thus not raise any suspicions - except Hakuba's. And since he was a magician, there was a perfectly good excuse right there. He could be up to something with his craft. A fact that would no doubt help in scaring off the wary. 

Of course, there was always the danger that Kudo Shinichi, with his face intact, might show up again soon, but after last night's little shrinking episode, Kaito highly doubted it. If that had been some experimental cure for his _little_ condition, then it had obviously failed. And judging by his reticence at the beginning of their chase, Shinichi hadn't meant to be there in the first place. Kaito still needed answers for that particular detail, but he'd have to wait for the detective to wake up before they could play twenty questions. And according to the old man, it would be awhile yet before "Conan" was up and about. 

Hmm. Should he risk it or not? 

* * *

Gaining entrance to the Kudo mansion would be an easy procedure. Kaito didn't even have to break in, Shinichi'd had the keys on him. He hadn't seen any watchers as he'd "made his way home", but that didn't mean there weren't any. Which was why he'd worn the detective's previous attire for this portion of the act. He had to make it look like Shinichi was just getting home. And it was a wonderful performance if he did say so himself. _Shinichi's_ hair was a mess, his clothes had rips all in them - perfectly designed to mask another more damning hole in the shoulder area -, and he was hunched over slightly with a thoroughly disgusted look on his face. The Great Detective of the East had not had a good night and it showed. 

He chanced a surreptitious glance around the street as he closed the front gate behind him, but saw nothing out of place. Kaito didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He _did_ have the niggling feeling that he was being watched, but it didn't exactly feel malicious. And hey, he hadn't been shot at yet! That was good, right? At least he hoped so. 

Mentally shrugging to himself, Kaito headed towards the house. The front door was still locked, not that it would have been a deterrent for him even without the keys, but he was trying to keep up appearances here. And then he was inside, the door closed and locked behind him. A studious look revealed a dark and seemingly empty house. There were no sounds out of place and it didn't _feel_ like there was anyone around. He didn't break his "disguise", but Kaito did allow himself to relax just a tiny fraction, if just for the moment. There was so little rest to be had for the weary, and the main event was swiftly approaching. Time to get to work. 

Well, after he found the kitchen and took another painkiller. The ache in his side was starting to turn into something much sharper again. Grimacing, Kaito shuffled off in the direction that was most likely to reward him with his destination of choice. The pills weren't very strong, he couldn't afford for them to be, but at least they took off some of the edge which was very, very welcome. Maintaining another identity wasn't all that much fun when he was hurting like a bitch, especially when the pain was located in certain places where Kudo Shinichi should not be injured. 

Oh sure, he could add broken ribs to the face mauling real easy, but broken bones generally took longer to heal than lacerations. Garnering sympathy with his lovely, _realistic_ face makeup was a calculated gamble, adding anything more on top of it would just be asking for it. Besides, Kuroba Kaito couldn't stay gone that long. His ribs would still be in the midst of healing when school started back up and one way or another Hakuba would find out. He _always_ found out. It would be best to just hide that particular injury until a much later date. 

At least the kitchen was in a sensible spot. A quick search produced a glass from one of the cupboard. Smiling pleasantly to himself, Kaito fished a pill out of his pocket while filling the glass up with water from the tap. The relief wouldn't be instantaneous, of course not. He'd have to have an injection for something to work that fast, but beggars can't be choosers and there was no way in hell he was waltzing around town with a couple of syringes in his pocket. There was only so much tempting of fate he was stupid enough to try under _any_ circumstances. 

When he left it, the kitchen was exactly the way he had found it: nary an item out of place and certainly no odd fingerprints to be found. Kaito supposed the bedrooms were up on the second floor. _Stairs, what fun._ First he needed to find a decent set of clothing, surely Shinichi had at least one ensemble that wasn't terrifyingly atrocious. Then he'd have to fix the hair. Yay for not having to wear a wig, but boo for the stupid hairstyle. Kaito hated gel, but he had a sinking feeling that copious amounts of the stuff would be the only way to get his hair to slick back appropriately. And then once that was all taken care of, he'd have to make a phone call- 

Kaito stopped in mid step, then took a few steps back and peered down at the table full of photos he'd just walked past. "You know, Shinichi," he muttered curiously as he bent down for a better view of a family photo that included all three of the crazy Kudos, "If I didn't know better, I'd say we were related. Our dads look enough alike for it, and we might as well be twins. Creepy as that sounds." His brows drew together in contemplation for a moment, then Kaito shook his head and straightened up. "Nah, I'm still better looking." 

Another search swiftly revealed the location of Shinichi's bedroom. It wasn't quite as neat as Kaito had been expecting, but then he supposed that there's only so much neatness could do against the assault of two distinctly different wardrobes in a room not meant for two people. It probably didn't help that Conan couldn't easily reach the same things he had been able to as Shinichi. Kaito briefly wondered about the merit of the detective staying in his own room, but since the Mouris were out of town for another week or so there probably wasn't too much danger of being discovered. And the poor sap probably needed to be somewhere where he truly belonged every now and then, otherwise he'd go crazy. Well, crazi_er_. 

It took longer than Kaito cared to admit to dig out a decent suit that he could wear without feeling that he was the penultimate fashion victim of the millennia. And then it was time to deal with the hair. Unfortunately, there was a problem with that. Shinichi was not in possession of one single container of hair gel. _What the hell?!_ Hairstyles like that did not happen in nature! He'd seen it fluffed up before! The jerk had to use _something_. But there was not a single ounce of gel, cream, or even _hairspray_ hiding anywhere in the bedroom or the nearby bathroom. 

Kaito almost let himself panic, then he remembered the photos he'd scrutinized on the first floor and raced down the hallway to invade the master bedroom. Shinichi might not need gel for that unholy hair of his, but... ah! Yes, his father definitely had a use for it. _Thank god._ Grinning triumphantly, Kaito snatched the jar up and zipped back to Shinichi's bedroom. 

The perfect disguise was not, in fact, the actual disguise. It was the mannerisms, the way one held themselves, and, of course, the different tones and accents of speech, among many, many other things. Still, when all the dust had settled, the suit had been donned and the hair had been slicked back, Kaito cut a damned fine figure as the Great Detective of the East. "Still not as sexy as me though," he quipped as he winked at his reflection, an image that was not aided any in the least by the spiderwork of cuts sprawled across the side of his face. But he could deal with that, it was just another weapon in his arsenal. If Hakuba dared to suspect Kudo Shinichi of being the Kaitou Kid in disguise, then he was going to make sure that jerk felt guilty about it the entire way. 

"Guilt is a wonderful, beautiful thing to inflict upon people who deserve it." Humming cheerfully to himself, Kaito pranced out of the bedroom and back down to the first floor. Now it was time for the fun to truly begin. He had a phone call to make and the choice of who to call was pretty obvious. Out of the entire police force, Inspector Megure was oblivious enough to the connection between Shinichi and Conan - how the hell did anyone miss something that obvious anyway? - and enough of a fan of the detective to be the best choice to call first and get the ball rolling. 

_Let the games begin._

He didn't need to look up the number, he already had it memorized. Thanks to Shinichi's continual harassment of the Kaitou Kid at his heists, Megure, along with other legal minded individuals associated with the brat, had quickly risen to "important to know" status. The phone rang twice before being picked up. Kaito did not wait for a greeting. "Inspector?" 

"Kudo?! Where have you been?! Are you all right?!" 

Yep, they all panicked. "Ah, I just got home," Kaito answered, adding just a touch of weariness to his Shinichi voice for effect, "Kid gave me a face full of knockout gas when we hit the ground. I didn't wake up until an hour or so ago. I'm not really sure why he didn't leave me there, but I suppose it might be another practical joke of his." 

"Ah, that's quite probable," Megure agreed sympathetically. _Gotcha!_ "But are you all right? That Hakuba boy did mention that some of the blood they'd found at the scene belonged to you." 

"Just some cuts from the tree that idiot ran into," Kaito explained, a sliver of irritation that would've most likely been directed at his wonderful self rising in Shinichi's tone. "I'm about to head out to give Nakamori a statement, would you mind calling ahead for me?" 

"Of course not!" 

"Thank you, Inspector. Now if you'll excuse me-" 

"Ah! Just a moment!" 

Kaito raised an eyebrow at the interruption. _What's this all about?_ "Yes?" 

"I just wanted to apologize for snatching you up off the street like that, Kudo. If I had known things would turn out as they did, I would have let you go on your way in peace." 

Kaito blinked in surprise at the sincere remorse bleeding through the phone line. Well, at least he knew now where to start when he got around to questioning Shinichi about what the hell he'd been doing there last night. "No need to apologize, Inspector. Kaitou Kid's heists _are_ interesting and you know that I'm always willing to lend a hand when I'm here." 

"Of course, of course." There was a brief pause and the sound of a muffled, embarrassed cough before Megure was back on the line. "Well then, I'll call off the search and let Nakamori know that you'll be by soon." 

"Thank you, Inspector. Good day." 

Kaito grimaced as he placed the phone's receiver back down in its cradle. Dealing with fans from a distance was a great rush, but it could get somewhat annoying when it was one on one, and Megure was _definitely_ a serious fan of Kudo Shinichi. He didn't want to have to deal with somebody else's fans if he couldn't pull any amusing pranks on them. It made him twitchy. He didn't like being twitchy. 

"Kudo... Shinichi?" 

_Shit!_ Kaito whirled around and stared at the little girl standing across the room from him. What the hell? How'd she sneak up on him?! He hadn't heard anyone come in! 

The girl stared back at him in confused wonder for a few seconds, then her eyes narrowed in apparent suspicion. _Oh hell._ "You didn't come home last night," she said flatly. 

"Ah, yeah, there was a police investigation," Kaito muttered lamely by way of explanation as _Shinichi_ scratched self-consciously at the back of his head. Crap. He had no idea how Shinichi acted around this kid when he was himself. He was going to have to wing it. 

"Yes, that much was obvious when they came by this morning looking for you." 

Oh dear. She wasn't buying it. And if Kaito was willing to hazard a guess, he'd also say that she knew damn well that he wasn't who he appeared to be. But as for the how of that, Kaito wasn't exactly sure. Perhaps a little fish- _digging_ was in order. "By the way, how did you-" 

"Get in?" She cut in, finishing his question with ease before giving him a guileless look accompanied by an innocent blink. "Don't you remember, _Shinichi_? You gave me a key." 

Okay, maybe digging wasn't a very smart idea after all. She was good. "Of course, silly of me to forget about that." Kaito smiled brightly while mentally eyeing her with a skittish sort of respect and a healthy dose of alarm. Something told him that very, _very_ little ever got by her. He almost felt sorry for Shinichi. Almost. 

She smiled back at him, the gesture nothing short of predatory. It quite effectively sent shivers up and down his spine. Yeah, he did feel sorry for Shinichi right now. This little lady was downright scary! "Have you seen Conan today, _Shinichi_? I've looked everywhere, but I just can't seem to find him." 

Wow. She was really good. There was no way he could avoid that trap without giving himself away. Oh well. "Sorry, I haven't seen him, but I'm sure he'll show up eventually." There, maybe that bit of assurance would get her off his back long enough for him to escape. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really do need to get going." And get the hell away from creepy little girls. 

"Certainly." She sidestepped, allowing him to pass. Kaito was almost home free when she spoke up again. "Well, when you do see him, please let him know that I would like to see him at his earliest convenience." 

Which most likely meant something along the lines of: as soon as humanly possible or heads will roll. "I'll be sure to let him know," Kaito singsonged as he did _not_ run away, no matter how much he really wanted to. That was one very disturbing child... or not. It was quite probable that she was another member of the short brigade, and that would explain things. However, he got the distinct impression that she knew just who he was and as far as his mind was concerned that was a giant neon "STAY AWAY FROM HER" sign. 

For one of the very few times in his life, Kaito was rather thankful that the scary people in it were mostly limited to Aoko and Akako. Hakuba didn't count, he was just annoying. 

* * *

The seemingly young girl known as Haibara Ai impassively watched Kaitou Kid's conspicuous retreat. The information she'd gleaned earlier from Inspector Megure in regards to the events of the night before precluded that person from being anyone else. His presence, however, did not provide her with an answer to the more important question on her mind. Where was Kudo? 

"You have a truly alarming tendency of getting into problematic situations," she stated gloomily to the empty house, and then tacked on an acidic "Idiot." as if in afterthought. She did not appreciate the growing likelihood of having to clean up one of his messes. 

* * *

To Be Continued...


	5. Part 5

**A Long Drop to Perdition  
**_**by Meimi**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I am in no way associated with Aoyama Gosho or anyone who hold rights to Detective Conan or Magic Kaito. It isn't mine, I'm just playing with it. 

* * *

Hakuba Saguru's mind was rarely ever idle. He couldn't afford for it to be. The constant battle of wits he played with a certain international criminal - with a genius level of lunacy under his belt - left him with few opportunities to even contemplate the remote possibility of relaxing his guard any. Kuroba Kaito did not have an off switch. Indeed, it didn't appear as if he had any sort of switch save for a volume control - which he turned all the way up when he changed into his fugitive alias: the Kaitou Kid. Of course, Saguru had yet to come across any solid evidence to link the two together, but it was only a matter of time before he obtained _something_ concrete. Unfortunately, it was becoming more and more likely that the evidence he so craved might turn out to be the idiot's corpse. 

He did not fancy the possibility of sending Kuroba off in a body bag rather than a set of handcuffs. Why did he have to be so contrary? The bullets they kept digging out of the architecture after each and every heist in the past few months told the tale well enough. Somebody was doing a hell of a job at trying to scare him off. Couldn't he just _not_ rise to the occasion for once? Getting shot at was on an entirely different level than someone just using his name to commit a crime. Why couldn't he see that? It was obvious that the sniper had been missing on purpose, but that wouldn't last forever. 

In fact, he'd be willing to bet that the stakes of that deadly game had probably been upped the night before. Saguru was fairly positive that someone had been shot, and he very much doubted that it had been a certain thief who'd been the one on the receiving end of the bullet. That would be too easy. No, the sniper - assuming it was just one - wanted something else first before they got around to bumping off their original target. What that thing might be, Saguru had absolutely no idea. Which didn't help much, but he'd worked on - and solved - cases before with fewer clues than this. 

There were many, many problems with the recent state of affairs, very worrisome problems; and the identity of the person who had been the most probable victim didn't help one little bit. Saguru didn't like Kudo Shinichi. And his dislike hadn't come about because of any fault on his fellow detective's part. Kudo was arrogant - hell, they all were to some degree -, but he was a pretty nice guy for all intent and purpose. It's just that he looked too damned much like Kuroba for Saguru to _ever_ be comfortable around him. The uncanny resemblance was just _too_ creepy. And it sure as hell didn't help that the guy was hiding something either. That much was blatantly obvious, but no one seemed inclined to call him on it. And thanks to that palpable sense of something not quite right, Saguru had ended up half suspecting Kudo of being Kuroba for the better half of the night. It had gotten to the point where he'd been so distracted by keeping an eye on the other detective that the thief's actual arrival had almost been something of a shock. 

But for all that he didn't like Kudo, he liked the idea of the guy getting shot at a Kaitou Kid heist even less. Why him and why now? There were far more appealing targets to aim at if the goal was to get at the phantom thief. Himself and Nakamori being at the top of the list, but that was fine with him. He'd much rather it be he who was being shot at than someone else in the Task Force; and he was quite certain that the Inspector shared in that sentiment. But no, it had been Kudo. _Why?_

There were a few possibilities that he'd managed to come up with, and all of them were bad. There was the possibility that one of Kudo's _secrets_ had followed him to the heist and decided it was the perfect opportunity for a little friendly murder, but Saguru didn't think that was it. According to Inspector Megure it had been pure chance that he'd spotted Kudo on him way to the heist. The sniper was a professional - that much was clear; and Saguru highly doubted that they'd set up an assassination like that on the spur of the moment. There were always channels that high level criminals had to go through for such things, and getting through them took time. Of course, he couldn't rule that possibility out entirely, but still, it didn't seem likely. 

One of the other possibilities, unfortunately, was a lot more damning. Kudo looked far too much like Kuroba for anyone who knew the latter to be able to miss. There was always the slim chance that he'd been shot because of that uncanny resemblance. And that would be a _huge_ problem. If it had been because of that reason, then the sniper somehow knew that the Kurobas were associated with the Kaitou Kid in some way or another. And it wouldn't take a giant leap in logic to ascertain the actual identity of the thief if they knew that much. The ramifications of something like that occurring were so far beyond the realm of things he liked to ponder over as to be in an entirely different universe altogether. And that was- 

That was not Kudo. 

Saguru watched curiously as his "fellow detective" slowly made his way through one cluster of worried Task Force members after another. Their concerns were to be expected, "Kudo" looked like shit. One side of his face was nice and torn up, and Saguru doubted that it was fake. For one thing, Kuroba just wasn't the kind of person to make a play like that unless he not only thought that he could get away with it, but that it was also in his best interest to do so. For another thing, he was much paler than he had any business being, which suggested further injuries that _were_ hidden from view. Interesting. It did confirm one of his theories though: Kudo _had_ been injured the night before, and rather badly if this little act was any indication. 

Oh, the disguise was perfect. In fact, Saguru would go so far as to say that it was only one point shy of being flawless. The look, the stance, the behavior, the voice, it all matched to what he knew and what he had seen of Kudo Shinichi the night before. There was just one little problem. The sense of wariness around him was different. Oh, Kuroba and Kudo did share that in common. They were both wary, almost to the point of being labelled as paranoid at times; but they weren't the same. That unmistakable sense of being hunted was similar, but there was a distinct difference between the fear of being caught and the fear of being killed. Saguru had enough experience to recognize that difference; and Kudo Shinichi fell squarely into the latter. Whatever it was that Kudo was hiding from, the fear of it was with him every second of every day. It marked him in a way that even a master of disguise like Kuroba would have severe difficulty in imitating. 

Saguru smiled politely as Inspector Nakamori shot him an irritated glance before entering the fray. Well, at the very least, _Kudo_'s version of events ought to be entertaining. And watching Nakamori rant at a disguised Kaitou Kid was always a bonus. 

* * *

"And that's why you should leave these things to the professionals." 

Kaito nodded in mock agreement at the "you'd better damn well listen to your elders for once in your life, you cocky brat" sort of look Nakamori was giving him. He'd pasted on an apologetic smile right around the time the Inspector's rant had cranked into full gear, though he was starting to feel rather tired - not to mention that horrible ache in his side was beginning to flare up again. So he'd just let his weariness slowly leak through his "disguise" as the minutes ticked by. And thankfully, that little tactic had worked like a charm. _Hooray for injuries._ Nakamori hadn't gotten anywhere near as loud as he usually did whenever he yelled at Hakuba about something Kid related, and he sure as hell hadn't gone on as long as he usually did when anything even remotely impinged upon his chosen territory. 

One of these days he was going to have to convince Nakamori that his nightlife as the Kid did not solely belong to one very loud police inspector; and make pigs fly while he was at it - under their own power and with no traceable tricks involved. The latter would probably be a much easier endeavor to accomplish. 

"Well, anyway." Nakamori cleared his throat, gave "Kudo" a very obvious once over and then gruffly barked, "You look like shit, kid. Get out of here already." 

Kaito hauled himself up out of the chair he'd been unceremoniously deposited in, gave Nakamori a brief nod of farewell - he didn't think he could manage a bow -, murmured something along the lines of "Of course, Inspector. Have a good day." and turned to start making his way out, only to be brought up short by Hakuba. What did he want? 

Hakuba smiled pleasantly at him. The expression made Kaito's nerves start twitching. This couldn't be good. "Do you think you could spare a moment before you leave, Kudo? I'd like to talk with you about something. It shouldn't take long." 

Oh no, that wasn't good at all. "Certainly," he muttered in agreement, shuffling along tiredly behind Hakuba as the blonde detective began to lead Kaito over towards another desk. Ah, that's right. Hakuba had somehow or other earned himself his very own desk amongst the Task Force. Kaito could easily imagine just how beside himself Nakamori had been at the time. He _really_ didn't like interlopers, and it would take a lot more for Hakuba to earn any other sort of distinction in the dear Inspector's eyes. 

Still, that wasn't the most interesting - or amusing - subject to think about at the moment. Hakuba was walking sort of _funny_. His trousers weren't anywhere near being the definition of tight, yet he was very carefully watching his stride as if they were. And since Kaito pretty much knew why Hakuba was being so careful with his steps - and was, in fact, the cause of it -, it just wouldn't be right to not bring attention to it. "Hmm. Hakuba?" _Kudo_ began carefully, "Would it be considered rude of me to inquire as to why you are walking with such an odd limp?" 

Hakuba froze for a moment, then tossed an irate glare over his shoulder before continuing on his way. "Yes. Yes it would." 

Kaito waited until they had nearly reached the detective's desk before breaking the silence once again. "So why are walking funny?" His disguise of choice would be polite about it, but even Shinichi's curiosity would have run its course by then. 

Hakuba sighed heavily in what sounded like pure resignation as he dropped down into his chair. "Removing fly paper from certain extremities isn't exactly a pleasant experience," he explained dryly as he gave _Kudo_ a thoroughly disgusted look. 

Kaito winced in well crafted sympathy. Shinichi wouldn't laugh his ass off at a fellow detective's... _difficulties_, not unless he knew them pretty well - which would make another certain detective fair game, but sadly not this one. Pity that, it _was_ hysterical; but then again, he'd meant it to be. "I wouldn't imagine so." 

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Hakuba grumbled snidely under his breath. He just sat there for a few moments watching Kaito with hooded eyes, then shook his head - as if deciding against something - and started absently shuffling the papers stacked neatly across his desk. "As one fellow detective to another, I'd appreciate the opportunity to the discuss certain _details_ with you at a later date. Would a phone conversation suffice?" 

Kaito blinked. What was- _Oh._ He bit back a groan at the accusatory glare Hakuba directed his way. The detective either suspected that he wasn't Shinichi or flat out knew that he wasn't and wanted to talk to the real thing. It figured. "That's perfectly fine with me," Kaito answered, his tone sounding as if Shinichi was curious at the oddity of the request, "Do you need my number?" 

"No, that's fine. I'd rather _you_ called me at your leisure," Hakuba said blandly as he leaned back in his chair and smiled smugly up at the fake detective. "Give it a few days. I wouldn't want to impose upon you too much after such a harrowing experience." 

Kaito arched an eyebrow dubiously as Hakuba reached into one of his suit's pockets and pulled out what appeared to be a business card. Oh, that was just too much. Hakuba Saguru, mister Sherlock Holmes wannabe himself, had business cards now. My my, Kaito would definitely have to come up with something appropriately embarrassing to replace them with. Well, just as soon as it stopped feeling like he'd been hit by a truck. He did have _some_ priorities, after all. 

* * *

The first time he woke up, he couldn't rightly say that he was awake. His eyelids were too heavy to even bother with trying to open and there was this enormous appalling ache where his forehead ought to be. Something told him that he really didn't want to know just exactly why it had been replaced with something that dreadful - or why his shoulder had been replaced with the ache's younger brother; and then he promptly fell back asleep. Some things were just better left alone. 

The second time he woke up, he still didn't feel much like being awake. Those horrible aches were still there, though there was a fuzzy quality about them that spoke of painkillers. Heavy duty ones. Couldn't he just make it through one single day without it involving pain in one form or another? Because if it wasn't his brain misgauging his body size - again -, then it was Ran's dad whacking him for doing his job, or a suspect who didn't want to go quietly, or hell, even Ran herself giving him a bonk for being overzealous. And if it wasn't any of that, then it was one of the other kids doing something that would require his sweat and blood to fix or Haibara deciding to dig her claws in deeper- Wait. 

Haibara. 

Oh. Oh _crap_! He was a dead man, assuming he wasn't well on his way to the afterlife already. She was going to _kill_ him. No, she'd torture him first - and run up every credit card she could find with his name on it while she was at it; then she'd draw and quarter him, fry up the pieces, and feed them to Agasa and the Detective Boys. Ugh. One of these days he was going to remember just how bad his luck tended to run and leave well enough alone. And learn how to say no for once in his life. That wasn't such a hard thing to do! Just say no. 

So, what had he been doing lately to make himself feel like death warmed over? _Start at the beginning and work your way from there._ Thanks to a little prodding from Haibara about the Apotoxin, he'd decided to stay home - or rather at Agasa's - instead of going off with Ran and her dad for their vacation. He remembered that much. And what a miserable time it had turned out to be. There were few people he would ever wish being Haibara's guinea pig on. Not many deserved a fate as nerve-wracking as that. 

Still, the new temporary antidote seemed to work as prescribed. He'd been his real self for two whole days. God, that was a nice feeling. And she had said that if things kept going as well as they were she might be able to produce one that could last twice as long. And soon. That would be lovely. Of course, he'd much prefer a permanent cure, but for the time being he'd take what he could get. 

Not that he was going to live long enough for her to make one. He'd just been so damned tired of being locked up in her lab for days on end while she tested stuff out and recorded his body's reactions to it all. And come on, he hadn't done anything _wrong_ - not really. He'd just slipped out for a short walk while she was off at the grocery with Agasa. He'd been in need of fresh air and he damn well knew how to properly stay out of sight by now. It shouldn't have been a problem. He'd just forgotten about Inspector Megure's internal Kudo radar. And, of course, he had yet to learn how to say no to the man - especially not for a Kid heist. So yes, he was very much a walking corpse at this point. 

Now that he thought about it, he supposed he deserved to get shot for being so ridiculously stupid. Though, he couldn't quite understand why they hadn't waited until after the heist to kill him. Assuming it had been the Black Organization to begin with. On the surface, Kaitou Kid's fun and games didn't appear to be of much interest to them, at least not so far as he could tell. Vermouth might take a shine to the lunatic. But then, she seemed to like playing with people; and the phantom thief would probably be a great toy to someone like her. The only way Gin and Vodka would be interested in the thief is if they'd been told to kill him. 

It just didn't make sense to do it like that. So why had he been shot? Kid hadn't been too surprised about the bullets whizzing by, at least not until he'd been hit. Interesting. It might not have anything to do with the Black Org after all. If that were true, then he was truly void of intelligence. And also, _cursed_. There was no other believable explanation for the lengths his karma went to to make his life utterly miserable. It was probably his parents' fault. They had such a wonderful tendency of ticking people off with their inability to not screw around with others. And he certainly counted himself among their victims. They'd probably pissed off some vengeful spirit - or spirit_s_ - and now he was the one paying for it. 

Okay, so he'd been shot. And the Kid must have caught him because he didn't feel like a pancake - though that might be an improvement. He _did_ feel smaller though, and that was a terrifying realization. Please please let him not have shrunk back down right in front of the Task Force. But actually, now that he thought about it, he'd be dead already if that had happened. So that meant Kid must have done something. Oh god, the very thought of owing Kaitou Kid for saving his identity - _again_ - along with his life made him wish he'd hit the ground anyway. A murderous Haibara he could deal with, but adding an international thief who liked to play psychotic pranks on top of his future execution was something else altogether. 

He was doomed. 

He also wasn't in a hospital. It was too quiet for it to be a hospital, but his wounds had obviously been treated so he had to be somewhere medically inclined. There was someone else in the room with him too. They were being quiet - very quiet -, but they were definitely there. Eh. So much for the idea of going back to sleep. There was always the possibility that whoever it was could tell him something positive for a change though. Maybe something along the lines of "We're so very sorry. We did everything that we could, but your wounds were too severe. You have only a few hours left." That would be nice. 

Indeed, it would have been a fabulous end to a truly wretched existence, except his hopes were well and truly dashed when he finally managed to pry his eyelids open. He recognized the figure standing at the other end of the room, though he highly wished he didn't. "You bastard," Shinichi, or rather himself in _Conan_ size, rasped out viciously. What the hell was that stupid thief playing at? 

Kaito, still dressed up as his surly audience's elder self, grinned manically as he transferred his gaze from his latest acquisition over to the displeased looking detective, who was even now glaring heatedly at him. He'd completely forgotten about the sapphire until just a few minutes ago and had decided to take a little look at it. The moonlight filtering in through the window had been too good of an opportunity to pass up. Another dud, of course, but he'd been expecting that. It'd just been something to do whilst he'd been waiting for Shinichi to finish fighting his way back to the land of the living. "And a good evening to you too, sunshine," Kaito chirped back cheerfully. 

"What- what-" Shinichi sputtered, then stopped and closed his eyes to gather some semblance of brain power. When he opened them again his gaze was much sharper. And with that slight heightening of perception, he saw something he had missed the first time around. "What the hell happened to you?" 

Kaito blinked curiously at the look of restrained horror on Shinichi's miniature face. Well, that was different. What was- Oh, of course. Smiling sweetly, he reached up and gently tapped his fingertips against his injured cheek. "You hit a tree," he said simply by way of explanation. 

"_What?!_" Shinichi whipped his hands up to his face, a move he instantly regretted as his shoulder immediately decided to protest such a course of action in great detail. _Ow_. 

"Hold the hysterics, boy wonder," Kaito muttered irritably as he pocketed the gem and trotted over to the side of the bed. Trust mister great detective to hurt himself right after he'd woken up. "_Your_ face is fine. I merely had to improvise." He smiled again brightly at the pained, disbelieving look the little detective leveled at him. "You fell off a building and then ran into a tree. No one's going to believe that you walked away from that unscathed." 

"What have you done?" Shinichi ground out as he narrowed his eyes back into a suspicious glare. Kid wouldn't be disguised like that unless he'd needed it to do something. And it would, no doubt, turn out to be something that _he_ would come to regret for a very long time afterwards. Next time, assuming there was a next time - and knowing his luck there would be -, he was going to make damned sure that he went splat on the pavement. No more daring rescues by wanted felons, thanks all the same. 

"Today?" Kaito asked gaily, then raised a hand and started ticking off points. "I went home. Then I went to your house and borrowed some clothes. After that, I called your Inspector Megure and headed that manhunt off at the gate. Then I had a nice, brief chat with a creepy little acquaintance of yours. And after _that_, I went and gave Nakamori _your_ statement about _my_ heist. Then I got sidetracked by Hakuba and a nice bracing game of guess what the thief's real intentions are. And when all that was over with, I went back to your house, gathered up some more clothes, and came back here to check up on how you're doing." 

Shinichi blinked blankly as his brain carefully sifted through the haphazard information. That couldn't be everything, could it? No, there had to be something else going on here. There was no way he'd believe that the Kaitou Kid would go out of his way to help _him_ unless he had some other goal in mind. The thief would've just dropped him off at a hospital if his intentions were benign. 

Kaito quirked his lips at Shinichi's confused ponderings and leaned down, absently snatching the detective's hands as they darted up to grab at his face. "Now now, you can play unmask the bandit later," he murmured patiently before letting his expression shift and then settle into something far more severe. 

Shinichi blinked in surprise at the change. That was different. Why was- 

"You were shot. In the head." Kaito explained flatly, his displeasure at the very concept coming through loud and clear. "You very nearly died." Frowning unhappily, he released one of Shinichi's hands and lightly trailed his fingers along the bandage wrapped around the little detective's head. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't try for a repeat performance. You might be accustomed to dealing with corpses, but I don't much care for them myself. They're awkward and they get in the way." 

Shinichi opened his mouth for a moment and then shut it again. What exactly could he say in response to that? He'd been very careful at avoiding the topic of just why his head hurt so damned much. And then the thief had to go and drop that bombshell in his lap anyway. He... didn't want to think about it right now. It could wait until later, when he wasn't in the company of such an impossibly annoying individual like the Kaitou Kid. He'd give just about anything to be back home in his own bed right about now. 

Kaito mentally shook his head and straightened back up. There were a lot more questions he wanted to ask, but judging by the detective's demeanor, he doubted that he'd get any workable answers tonight. Poor little _Conan_ appeared a tad bit too shell shocked to deal with much else at the moment, and that was on top of the drawn look of thinly masked pain. Ah well, it could wait until later. It wasn't as if they were going anywhere. Yet. "Get some more sleep, Shinichi," Kaito said softly as he reached over and smoothed down the detective's unruly bangs. "The usual disasters can hold until morning." 

Kaito couldn't resist an amused smirk when Shinichi failed to catch his use of names. He was very much looking forward to when he finally did. It promised to be a highly entertaining occurrence. 

* * *

To Be Continued...


End file.
